Scaffolding Strategies

In my classroom, there are more than a few students who I believe would benefit from the various scaffolding activities we discussed in class and are provided in both the Gibbons and Tompkins texts. I could imagine using these strategies with most of the class, but in particular I could see them working well in small groups of students. I feel that the students in my classroom are often times easily distracted which highly affects their performance levels. Usually, the students in this environment work best one-on-one or with a few peers. I assume this is because they are receiving more attention from the teacher and perhaps they feel more relaxed than they might if they are put in on the spot in front of the entire class. There are a few students who I think would respond extremely well to this type of small group scaffolding activities for their struggles in reading.

The students I would place in this category are in the emergent stage of reading. Based on this placement, there are some useful Instructional Recommendations from the Tompkins text that I would use for this group of students. The first is to “Have children manipulate sounds using phonemic awareness activities.” (Tompkins, 97) After working with a young girl using the Orton-Gillingham tutoring program, I have seen success with this type of scaffolding practice and would be inclined to use it with the students in this classroom. Second, I would try to “Encourage children to make text-to-self connections.” (Tompkins, 97) I feel this would help students understand language and readings in a more personal way that would connect them to literature, promoting an early appreciation for reading. I think if students value reading, they will more willingly practice it. Finally, I would “Encourage students to make predictions.” (Tompkins, 97) I would use this activity for a few reasons: It helps students to think abstractly about readings, encouraging their imaginations. Also, I think it would help students detect patterns in various readings whose plot lines take similar turns.

“[Swain] argues that actually producing language encourages learners to process the language more deeply than is required when they simply listen, and tends to stretch or push learner language in a way that listening alone does not.” (Gibbons,15) For this reason, within all three of these activities, I would require students to express themselves audibly to produce language while discussing readings.

Helping Emergent Readers

After we received this noteblog, one student in my class came to mind almost immediately. I will call this student Claire. Claire is very shy and keeps to herself a lot. I have just noticed recently that she is opening up to her peers. Claire is one of the students in our lowest reading groups. She not only struggles with reading, but most classes in school. She is currently being tested to see if she qualifies for special education. I work with her a lot, I have noticed that she struggles greatly with reading. She tries to decode words, but when she cannot get it she just skips it. In centers, I notice that she skips a lot of the questions and just guesses at an answer, especially in the sliders center where the questions are multiple choice. In math, she does not understand the directions to the problems because she cannot read them. She is constantly seeking help, but wants us to tell her the answer. When I have her work through the reading we eventually get there, but it is slow and she requires a lot of help. After reading some of the suggestions in the text, the following are a few activities I would consider doing with her.

One of the suggestions in Tompkins is to have the children retell and dramatize stories. I think this would be a good activity for her to do because she spends so much time focusing on decoding words that she is not taking meaning from the text. By retelling the story and acting it out she would have to remember what she read. I think it would help to stop her as she was reading and ask, "What just happened in the story?" This would make her slow down and she would only have to remember small parts of the text at a time. I think she has to spend so much time decoding it would probably be hard to hold all that information in her head at once. I might also have her draw a picture of what happened in the story to show me that she understood.

Another activity I would do with her is to have her write with a single idea to her compositions. This is actually from the beginner readers section of Tompkins, however, I feel like she could handle it. This is something that our CT already does with the students. However, most of their writing time consists of writing what they want and then showing it to the teacher. I think that if Claire was encouraged to sit down and write about one idea and share it with her table group at the same time she would be more likely to stick to an idea. I noticed that she is jumping around in her writing a lot. I might also have her write a thought web first to concentrate her ideas around one single idea to write about. I think this will help her think about what to write about. Even though she only writes a few sentences on each page this will help her concentrate her writing.

One of the things in the Gibbons text I really enjoyed was the going from speaking to writing sequence in chapter three. I think a lesson structured like this would really help students like Claire. Currently, when we read a text out of their language arts book, our CT goes over all of the vocabulary first. I think it would be good to read the text first and then ask the students what they think the word means based on what they read. This would help students like Claire take in the context around the word to figure out the meaning. This technique will help them when they are independently reading and come across a word they are unfamiliar with. I also like the journal writes after they talk about what they have learned. This would help Claire practice her writing by getting her ideas down on paper. She would also have more of an idea of what to write because we would have just discussed it.

I think Claire would benefit from this activities because they would help her focus on what she is reading or writing. If she learns to take context clues from her reading or writing she will be better at doing this work independently. Also, working with her group during writing would also help her. She struggle a lot with coming up with things to write about. By sharing ideas I think this would help her.

Helping Emergent Readers

I find there is one student in particular that is greatly struggling to operate at a first grade level. He is in the lowest reading group for guided reading with my CT and has still not moved past the first level of books provided by my CT. This student still struggles to put the correct sound with the letter, especially with digraphs such as ch, sh, wh, th. In addition, if he can sound out the individual sounds of a word, he then has trouble blending those sounds together. For example, he might say c / a / t with the correct sound attached to each letter but doesn't hear himself blending those sounds together to create the word cat. Therefore he usually guesses while reading and instead of saying cat after he sounded out the letters he will say something completely different such as Christmas. This student thus has difficulties with comprehension and this lack of ability carries over onto his writing. He needs quite a bit of time to complete writing assignments because he is not sure how to spell words and is either constantly asking, looking them up using a word chart, or finds something different to say in his writing. Many times, he wants to write something but is afraid it will not be correct so he writes something different which holds his writing back.

This is a student who needs some scaffolded instructional activities to help improve his level of reading and writing. Tompkins strategies for emergent readers are very helpful ones and I think my student could benefit from a few of them very much. I think it would be helpful for him to use big books in order to assist him in making connections with sounds and letters. I also think it would be helpful for him to attend literacy centers that were beneficial. For example, Tompkins suggests having literacy materials in play centers. I would have him visit specific centers each time they occur that included a focus on digraphs or blending or any elements of phonemic awareness in an engaging and interactive way. Maybe even having these centers so that he was paired with a student who is at the grade level or higher grade level reading so they could work in a successful group and help the lower acheiving student. Group work is a plan I think he would benefit in if students knew how to work properly in groups, like Gibbons suggests. I think it is important for this student to also portray his ideas through his talk and writing and therefore think it would be helpful to have him respond to literature through talk and drawing as Tompkins suggests. This would allow him to not become frustrated but rather express his ideas and test for his level of comprehension. In addition, to build his writing skills I would have interactive writing for whole-class and small-group writing projects where he felt comfortable writing and felt that he had a personal connection to his writing. Overall, I think a personal connection with regards to this students reading and writing would greatly benefit him. I do not believe he would become as frustrated as quickly and would take more away from his reading and writing if the material was more culturally relevant to him. I think an increase in skills at centers and throughout other various group work would help this student become a stronger reader and writer however I also believe that if he is interested in the text and can relate to it then his skills will be more applied by him through his comprehension and writing.

Strategies for Emergent Readers

The student that comes to mind first when I think of those that are unable to perform at the level the majority of the class is at, for Kindergarten, is a girl who cannot match sounds with letters. She has so much difficulty completing the morning worksheet every morning. Every morning our Kindergarteners receive a worksheet that involves the letter of the week. Last week was 'D', so the morning worksheet had a bunch of pictures of different items, some starting with the letter 'D'. The students had to color in those that began with the letter 'D' or the "duh" sound. By February, this task is easy and the students are finished in a matter of minutes because they have understood that when they say the word outloud, "doctor", they hear the "duh" sound and know it starts with the letter 'D'. It is so hard for me to watch and see the one student look at the paper next to her or stare blankly back at you when you help her slowly pronounce the word to you. For me, it is difficult to understand why it doesn't click.

During shared reading time when our CT reads the book and sometimes points to the words, I notice she is never looking up. She is always looking at another student, or down at her shoes, or out the window. The chances for her to pick up what familiar words look like in written text are not very high due to her lack of intrigue. She does not participate much when our CT asks questions to the class during morning carpet time. I wonder how much she absorbs throughout the day.

What I would do to help this student would be one-on-one work. I would read books with her that contained familiar words that I know the rest of the class would be able to recognize. Our CT has a word wall and he has certain books that contain high frequency words that are used constantly in everyday speech. I would read the story to her and point out the words as I read them. Tompkins talks about guided reading and how the books chosen for emergent readers contain perdictable outcomes that match the pictures. I would start out with these books so I can see if she is able to recognize letters when I point to them. I would ask questions that would let me conclude if she was able to recognize familiar words. Finally, I would ask her to tell me what certain letters sound like to see if she could sound out words in that fashion. If anything, I think she needs practice and more experience with sounds, letters, words, and books. She may not have ever been read to at home or challenged by anyone other than our CT. Since I do not know her home life situation, I would only be able to help out as much as I can during class time. Strategizing ways to help the situation in this case is always harder because there are 31 students and it is easy to overlook it and keep the rest of the class moving on schedule.

Discussion in the Classroom

As I approach discussion with my students, I would define it as a way to get our ideas out and open our minds to other opinions. I would explain to my students that people think about topics several different ways and it is important that we hear each other out and recognize each other’s values and beliefs. It is also a way to learn from our fellow classmates. I would remind our students that we all know a lot about different topics and a discussion is a way to share what we know and help others understand the subject better. Discussion is a way to test our own knowledge and beliefs and open ourselves up to those around us.

I think that creating a classroom community is the first step in creating quality discussions. It is so important that every student in the room feels comfortable enough to share their beliefs and experiences. I also think it is important to take small steps toward discussion. I think it is important to start with pair discussions and then move on to small and large group discussions. I would also have the students do quick writes at first before discussions to help them think about things to talk about because it is difficult at first to think of questions. The Almasi reading talked about the difference between discussion and recitation. I think that it would probably be a good idea to start classes out with recitations before moving right into full on discussions. Many students have never participated in discussions and are used to the teacher facilitating. In many instances students are only used to answering what the teacher has asked and then waiting to see if they are right and wrong. I think the teacher should start by asking the questions, but begin to include other students on the answer. They could do this by saying such things as, "That’s a great idea Jenny, What do you think Irene?" By doing this the teacher still plays an active role, but is moving the class toward discussion. Discussions involve students building off one another’s thoughts and bringing in new ideas. Many students do not know how to approach this, it is important to take small steps.

I also really enjoyed the Response-Center talk I read about. I had never really thought about all the planning teachers do before discussion. This article showed me that by careful planning before hand, the teacher can play less of a facilitator role and the students will be able to interact and build off one another’s ideas. I think it is important for the teacher to respond to the students, but in a way that guides the discussion and does not just direct the talk in the way the teacher wants.

The teacher must know a lot about their students before just diving into a discussion. First of all, have these students ever participated in a discussion? What was their learning like before this class? If they are conditioned to raise their hand and talk only when called on and are not used to a sort of free discussion, it might be very intimidating to just dive in with discussion. We discussed in class how many students are conditioned this way and I see this a lot in my field class. Our students raise their hands to do everything. We do not really see discussion and I do not think the students would know how to react if we tried to do one. I think it is also important to know where your students are coming from. Many students might be hesitant to approach a certain topic because of their background. As a teacher, it is important to know when students feel uncomfortable or when they just do not want to participate. I think successful discussions are in large part an outcome of careful planning.

Discussion in the Classroom

I am really excited about the challenge of conducting a discussion in my first grade classroom. I think it is going to be a challenging task because in my experiences I have not seen very much discussion in the younger grades. Usually I observe or participate in more of a recitation style talk in my classrooms for field placements, which have for the most part been successful and productive. However, I think introducing discussions in these early grades is something that will help prepare them for the grades ahead of them as well as later in life. I think the oral and listening skills acquired through discussions can benefit students in their daily lives outside of a school environment.

In order to conduct this type of discussion in my classroom, the set up and classroom management skills are essential to success. I would first start by explaining to my students that discussions are a different type of talking. Their are some different rules that we need to consider when having a discussion in our classroom. For example, we discussed in class the importance of having discussions feel like a natural conversation between students and teacher. I think this is so important and will help to create a safe environment for students to participate in. I also think that in lower grades discussions should begin small in order to introduce the style of them. For example, talking with a partner or with a small reading group, before entire class discussions take place. This is just a way for students to get comfortable using their oral skills in front of their peers and apply their listening and reflecting skills to their peers comments during discussion without feeling overwhelmed with the whole class. I think I would have my students come up with a list of rules together for discussions. This way, students created their rules and are more likely to remember them and stick to them. In addition, I think the way in which the room is set up can affect the discussion itself. I would position my students so that they could all see each other and in a more casual arrangement so the comfort and ease of the discussion carries over to the physical set up. In class we also discussed the importance of wait time when conducting a discussion. I think this might be the most challenging aspect for me when running a discussion with students because it seems somewhat uncomfortable. However, I think wait time in the younger grades is imperative because it might take some students longer to process information before they speak than others.

I think McGee made an excellent point when explaining that books need to have multiple layers of meaning and quite a bit of depth in order to have a successful discussion where student's ideas and thoughts can be explored and challenged. This is key in my thoughts when planning our discussion lesson and I think discussions can flop without this aspect. Therefore it is important for me to chose a book that incorporates aspects that I feel students will relate to. This requires me to understand my students and their prior knowledge, experiences, and backgrounds. If I do not gage what I might expect students to bring to the discussion, I will not be able to facilitate the discussion as much nor will my students be as engaged in the topic of discussion. That is why I love the statement by Goldenberg claiming that conversation is instructional and instruction is conversational. Personally, that is what I want to strive for in my discussion. The conversation of the discussion and the manner in which it is conducted is essential for instructional learning to occur.

Overall, I want to create discussions in my classroom that cater to the needs of each of my students. As Weinstein & Mignano state, you must find out which strategies work best for your students in order to create a maximum level of active participation. For me, this begins with knowing your students, understanding how they learn, and creating a safe environment for a discussion to occur. When these elements are included, I believe a IRRR can run successfully and deep levels of thinking will develop.

Classroom Discussions

Many people think literary discussions should be aimed more toward older students who can critically analyze texts, but I think it is highly possible to have a fruitful discussion with any age/grade level. I would really like to facilitate a discussion with the first grade students in my CT's classroom and I know it is possible because these kids have a lot to say! Even though some of the students are still learning how to read, they have skills that would be useful in compensating for reading level in a literary discussion. Skills such as listening, understanding/comprehending texts, emotionally connecting with characters, brainstorming, inferring, etc. would allow these young students to fully participate in a great discussion.

In order to make this type of discussion with young students run smoothly, however, I think it is necessary to know the students, understand how they learn, establish rules for discussion, and be prepared to listen carefully to my students in order to guide the discussion. I would present a discussion like this by introducing it using words like "book talk," "conversation," "casual conversation," etc. This would make it seem like less of a task and more relaxed in order to reduce any anxieties - I think students learn best when they are most comfortable in their academic environment. 

For my particular classroom, I would have to understand that these students get easily distracted and learn best with a lot of preparation and demonstration. I would probably read a book to the class, asking them to think about who the characters are, what is going on, how they feel, etc. while I am reading. After the story, I would like to have the students do a brainstorm activity such as drawing or writing about the story before the discussion. Then I would have students come to the carpet for discussion, bringing their brainstormed work. This would assist students to keep on track and focused during the discussion. It would also ensure that every student would have something to add to the conversation. I really like the idea of allowing the brainstorming to be about anything that concerns the book - something they liked, didn't like, they're curious about, etc. My reasoning here greatly reflects McGee's article: "children set the agenda for discussion; their comments initiate topics of discussion. Children's comments arise from their unique and personal responses to the books," (McGee, 1996)

Finally, because the first graders are so young and may not have much experience with literature discussions, it is important to establish a rule that they may not speak while someone else is talking. For these discussions to work, listening is key. A quiet group is important for listening. Also, I would have students call on each other, as someone in class session suggested. This way, they are not relying on me to regulate and evaluate the conversation. 

Talk in my Kindergarten Classroom

The talk in my Kindergarten classroom is very limited, and will always be limited. Kindergarten, in my opinion, would not be the most favorable age to begin bringing discussion into the classroom because even recitation is very, very hard for our CT to control and stressful for us TE students to witness. We have two situations in which there is discourse between our CT and the class. One is where they are supposed to be quiet and not talking because either our CT is teaching or reading a story. During this time there is always someone whining, poking, flailing, laying on another student, sneezing, getting up to use the restroom, tattling on another student, or making comments such as, "Guess what I'm going to be for Halloween next year?!" Situation two is where there is recitation and students shout out answers, do not raise their hands, have raised hands but have no answer, are called on and then repeat what someone said a few seconds before hand, and everything else that is mentioned above. Before even recitation can begin, our Kindergarteners need to master sitting quietly and raising their hands. Classroom management skills are needed first in our Kindergarten class in order to proceed to other forms of talk. Our Kindergarteners are still unfamiliar with the protocol of the classroom, they still feel as their behavior at home and their behavior at school is one in the same. With 31 Kindergarteners it is also hard to make sure each and every one of them is progressing and not causing a disturbance. Most of what our Kindergarteners learn each day is how one is supposed to act while in school.

For response centered talk in any classroom to take place, there are many factors that are needed. One of the points that is taken from the McGee (1996) article that I find the most beneficial is that the students must be willing to talk about what they are thinking and must know that they will not be ridiculed in front of their peers. Even at a young age, I can sense that some students are hesitant about answering questions in class because a certain student in our class may laugh if they are incorrect. In fact, in Kindergarten, some begin crying. As mentioned in discussion today, the books that are chosen are needed to be chosen wisely by the teacher. For my literature lesson plan, I would most likely choose a literature book that would get the students thinking about emotions and prior life experiences. Kindergarteners love to share stories and if they are able to see themselves in a book, or picture themselves in the main character's shoes they would be more apt to behaving because each would want to share their story with us. I also would be wise and choose a book that had a social justice theme involved to see how my diverse Kindergarten classroom would respond. Would they be able to pick up on the actions taking place? The emotions that the characters portray? I am very interested in seeing how a well picked book would be able to foster good recitation between the teacher and students.

Diversity in the Classroom

In the third chapter of The Dreamkeepers, Ladson-Billings states "My own experiences with white teachers, both preservice and veteran, indicate that many are uncomfortable acknowledging any student differences and particularly racial differences." (31) As a white teacher myself, I can identify with being uncomfortable addressing diversity in the classroom. 

Often times, teachers are instructed to view their students equally, without bias, and to hold one set of expectations for all students in order not to set up an environment that attributes academic abilities with racial or cultural backgrounds. I have received this type of advice, but after some rich field experience and some meaningful readings and class discussions, I am not so sure that I agree. I think that it is important to not only acknowledge, but to celebrate racial and cultural differences within a classroom. This would not only work as a learning process for everyone involved, but it is a way to build a rich, tight knit classroom community - which I believe is important for supporting all types and levels of learners. 

Even as young as kindergarden and first grade, children have been immersed in their families' cultures and traditions enough to recognize if they are different from someone else's. In fact, in my current field placement, there is a student whose family is from Egypt! I think this is really exciting, but perhaps he did not receive enough support in a previous school or public experience because he seems to become very embarrassed any time this is mentioned in front of other students. Rather than ignoring these differences, which could make students feel ashamed of their personal backgrounds, I think students should feel encouraged to share their traditions and culture with the class as an enriching experience. There are many ways this can be accomplished.

I can imagine creating a classroom community that celebrates diversity by including a wide range of books by diverse authors and about diverse peoples in my library. Not only that, I would be sure to read and discuss these books with my students. I would like to establish a norm in my classroom that does not necessarily conform to societies norms that students will receive outside of school. This could also include weekly explorations in different cultures' histories, traditions, holidays, foods, etc. I would also like to involve parents in this process in order to make the sharing of each students culture important and authentic. I hope to be able to reflect on my experience in the college of education, bringing together the things I have learned, articles and books I have read, and resources that I have become available to me in order to make this special community come to life in my own classroom.

Diversity in the Classroom

As a teacher I feel I could learn a great deal from my students. One way to learn about my students and the diversity in my classroom would be to have classroom discussions. By talking about different readings or discussing current events, I could learn how my students view the world around them. While, participating in discussions, students tend to draw from their own experiences. As a teacher it is important to understand where students are coming from and why they think certain ways. If you know this it is easier to come up with a way to teach to their needs. In order for classroom discussions to be effective, the students need to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and beliefs with the class. In our reading on discussions, it stressed the importance of this concept. If the students do not feel comfortable participating in discussions then it will probably not be a very fruitful discussion. I have also seen the value of forming a community in my own classroom in field. Our CT has built a very open and communicating classroom and because of this she has been able to learn a lot about each student and we have as well. I also think small group discussions are valuable for those students that do not feel comfortable speaking out to the whole class. The point of discussions is so the teacher can see what perspective the students are coming from. I think this is much better achieved in a small group discussion.

Another way to learn about diversity in the classroom is to have the students do a project about themselves. Our CT did this at the beginning of the year. Not only did she learn a lot about the students life, but also about their writing levels. I think the main way you can get to know your students is to be available in the classroom, let your students know you care and also keep that open communication in the classroom.

It is important to know your students so you know how to teach. Some students may have special cases that prevent them from doing their work or that make them tired in school. The student may want to learn, but something is preventing that. It is important to know this as a teacher so you can try and help the student and not just brush them off as another student who does not care. I feel that most kids want to learn and it is the teachers job to make that happen. For instance, that case we read in class was a good example of having to know your students. The teacher asked the students friends what was up with the student and she was able to find out without embarrassing the student and she was able to help the student instead of just assuming he did not want to do his work. It is important to know your students so you can help the learn and achieve in the classroom.

Diversity in the Classroom

In my field placement I find myself constantly observing how the diversity of students and the diversity of communities factor into the education of your students. I have come to realize that various teachers take many different steps in trying to understand their classrooms diversity and in turn each of their students. I think the article entitled, "Seeing Color, Seeing Culture" discusses this manner when they state, "Given the significance of race and color in American society, it is impossible to believe that a classroom teacher does not notice the race and ethnicity of the children she is teaching" (33). I have found this to be true in my own field placement, where my CT not only notices diversity of her students but celebrates it in various ways. For example, she did an ongoing project called "Flat Stanley" where each student made a picture of themselves and mailed it to another state or country to a friend or family member. One student sent it to his aunt who lives in India, another to her grandmother in Greece. Not only did each of these students get to share a presentation about this experience but they were recognized and applauded for their ethnic diversities. I found this to be directly in alignment of how a teacher learned more about the culture and diveristy in her classroom. It allowed her to get to know her students and their backgrounds better in a positive, educational manners. Each student completed this project and therefore she was able to see some commonalities and differences within her classroom culture, allowing her to see her students multiple perspectives on their lives. This is a project I would definately want to incorporate at any age level for my students. I think it was a wonderful way to begin understanding the diversity that the students in your classroom bring each year.

In addition, I think it is important to consider the positive responses to realities of urban teaching in class last week. I know it was easy for me to identify the negativities in communities that are coined urban but I think as a teacher it is important to take it this next step, in seeing what can be done to improve negativity that often surrounds these areas. I think that through these positive steps, as a teacher I can get to know more about the diversity of my students and help them be proud of the diversity each of them bring. It is important to the way I teach, to understand how my diverse set of students learn. The article referenced above also states, "By not claiming to notice, the teacher is saying that she is dismissing one of the most salient features of the child's identity and that she does not account for it in her curricular planning and instruction" (33). I think this is why understanding my students from multiple perspectives is essential for good teaching. I want to take the diversity of my students and use their diversity as the foundation for my planning and instruction. I want to take whatever my students bring to the table and create positive experiences and educational memories from their multiple perspectives. If I can accomplish this, not only will I have good relations with my students and the community in which I teach in, but I will also provide an education that will stick with them long after they leave my classroom.

Diversity of a Classroom

I get excited at the prospect of having my own classroom someday and learning about the lives of my students. I want to use the knowledge I gain to make good classroom choices in how I teach and in what methods I decide to teach. The Ladson-Billings article had a good statement that read, "Teachers with culturally relevant practices see themselves as part of the community, see teaching as giving back to the community, and encourage their students to do the same." I think that one of the best ways to understand my future students would be to get out into the community where the school is located and understand how their lives are lived outside of school. This goes beyond just realizing that the school is perhaps in a neighborhood that might all be of one race (or even multiple races); to me it means participating in community functions and seeing your students outside of school. I always liked running into my teachers in the grocery store. It made them seem like real people who had real families.

Not only do I want to learn about the cultural diversity of my classroom, but I would also like to understand the different ways in which my students will learn. Not all students in my classroom will comprehend language arts in the same way. I was never a student who liked reading nonfiction, like my history books. I could never concentrate and it always seemed my social studies homework was always reading the text and answering the questions. However, some students thrive on reading non-fictional texts and dislike reading novels. Finding out differences in reading among my future students will help me to get to know the diversity of how they learn. I would mix up the assignments so each student will be able to learn in the way they know best as well as learn in ways that are different to them as well.

What is Literacy?

Having grown up without experiencing difficulty reading and with parents and teachers eager to teach me to read, I took literacy for granted. I really had never even thought of the process of teaching reading until I entered TE 301 and learned about all the steps and components of literacy. Within the last two years in my TE classes and in my field experience, I realized how much work it can actually take to learn or to teach someone how to read!

I thought I had it all figured out after TE 301: Literacy, for me, was the end goal of a step-by-step process of learning how to read. This included pronouncing phonemes, recognizing letters, concepts of print, and all these other pieces of the literacy process. After our discussion on 'What is Literacy?' and the readings concerning Literacy, though, I have come to realize that it is much more than that.

During class, when our group tried to come up with a definition for Literacy, it was actually more of a struggle than I had expected. A few of these working definitions included:
Literacy is...
...the ability to comprehend and assign meaning to language in various forms within different contexts.
...a tool to be used in the process of achieving success.
...both a necessity for basic functioning and as a tool to be used in the process of achieving goals.

These few definitions were found within our small group of five, so it was no surprise that when the other groups in class offered their definitions, there were many that overlapped, and at the same time, many had opposing ideas about the function of literacy.

Even Cambourne added a new component of literacy that I had not really thought about before: Conditions of Literacy Learning. This is to say that environmental factors are as important in learning to read as the steps in the process. Teachers and parents act as "provider[s] of literacy skills" and are necessary to support the learner. I found this very empowering as a future teacher and look forward to providing a supportive literacy environment in which my students feel wholly immersed in language and literacy in the classroom, as well as provides avenues for them to continue their literacy learning at home with their families.

Defining Literacy

When I think of literacy, I always just think of learning to read and write. However, my views on that have changed since working with students more and taking TE classes in college. I consider literacy a means of communication. It includes reading and writing, but also speaking and communicating with others. Today we consider people illiterate if they cannot read and write, however, most of these people are functional members of society and communicate well with others. Not all societies have a written language, but I do not consider these people illiterate. They still communicate and find ways to pass down their history and legends through oral history. I believe speaking is just important, if not more so, than written communication. So, in my own words, literacy is a means of communications between people, whether written, spoken, read, or acted out.

After last weeks readings, I found that I wanted to incorporate more into my definition of literacy. Especially after reading the Critical Literacy article. I always thought of culture as an important part of picking books, but this article shed new light on how it can be part of literacy. People learn about other cultures through talking to others and reading about that culture. When I think of it this way, that is part of my definition. I think it is extremely important to include critical literacy in the classroom. Students need to know about people different from themselves. Many people fear what is different, I feel that this is the problem for many cultural divides. By learning about other cultures and understanding them through literacy we will be able to understand and accept other cultures more easily. I also liked the Cambourne article. I liked the way he broke up learning into different conditions. It gives teachers a way to look at literacy learning and incorporate it into their classroom. I would not say this article changed my definition of literacy, but it defiantly gave me a way to make literacy part of my future classroom. I especially liked the conditions immersion and employment. Although these are conditions I have thought of before, I liked the way it was explained. If students are constantly immersed in literacy and doing activities involving literacy then they will pick up these skills.

My ideal literacy learning environment would look a lot like the video we saw in class. I have seen teachers have literacy in the class, but that teacher had it everywhere and I loved how she did it. I would want creative centers where the students are eager to do the activity. I would want them engaged in the activity because that is the only way they will want to learn the concepts. If students are not engaged in learning they will not learn as well. I also want the students learning from each other. This is because the teacher cannot help everyone at once. If the students are modeling for each other and helping each other not only will that build classroom community but it will help all students. I also want to have centers with activities that students can do at home. This way the learning will not stop at school.. The students will see that literacy is all around them. I know that I never wanted to learn anything that I would not need to do later in life. If students see that what they learn in class is useful everywhere, they will be more likely to find meaning in the concepts and learn them.

In my field placement, I see many of the aspects of literacy I want to include in my own classroom. However, I would probably include more. My CT does a great job of making centers the students enjoy and there are posters and literacy concepts on the wall. I feel like when we are done with the literacy block for the day we brush it aside and move on. I would like the students to understand that literacy effects everything they do. In class we discussed centers, I think my CT does a great job with centers. She recently created a new way of rotating centers that works really well. She always has two groups up front reading with her. One is reading directly with her and the other is reading with a group leader. The rest of the groups are in centers with literacy games or skill work that keep them pretty busy. I like the way it is set up and would probably use this method in my own classroom.