I think one of the biggest things that I am learning from this class is to model, model, model. This is a great concept for teachers to wrap their minds around and use in the classroom. It is a great idea to show students what we expect and how to achieve what we are looking for. When this class began and we were taught to model how to write; I felt like this would be a key element in my classroom teaching. I feel the same way about modeling reading. It has to be so frustrating to many students to be told to go and read and take a test. Many students will not do well and then the teacher will ask them Why?At this point teachers need to be asking how they can change or improve the lesson to help the student learn.
In reading comprehension, students are shown how to look at the cover of the book and decide what the story could be about and later on discusses what is happening in the story. The teacher discusses the connections that can be made from reading other stories and what has been learned in the past. The teacher shows the student how to pull from background knowledge and make a connection with the story they are now reading. For vocabulary, children are taught to use context clues, word parts and resources.
Teachers model different text structures that are used to organize information. Here again by modeling the teacher is showing students how to make a connection and helping students to understand the process. It is not enough to tell students to look for comparison/contrast without taking the time to show them what they are looking for. I think one of the teachers summed it up well at the end of the article, “It takes a lot to slow down enough to pay attention to what your brain is doing and then learn to explain it to children.” If a teacher can learn to do this then he/she can learn how to model effectively and be able to teach children how to be better readers and improve their comprehension.
I loved that last paragraph in the article!! I’m with you about the modeling. I feel like it’s being stressed more and more this semester than ever before – I guess that’s because we have more methods classes this semester than ever before. From the modeling Dr. Carroll does to the modeling shown in this article, I feel like we have some great models to follow ourselves!
Amen, Peggy! At first, the concept of modeling scared and annoyed me…don’t these kids just know how to do this stuff? But now, I’m so on board! I’m going to model everything! I’m going to be my own teacher’s pet!!!
Peggy…may I just say, the Blog is looking devastatingly phenomenal! You have come so far so quickly and I am proud to call myself your friend! Every time I look in on your Blog it’s more and more awe-inspiring! You’re exceptional.