A Struggle With Reading... Or Lack Thereof

As I continue to work through Cris Tovani's book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?, I'm exploring my own reading abilities and what has influenced them. I love reading! I always have. And that might be due to the fact that I've always been pretty good at it. Or the fact that I usually find books whose topics I enjoy. Or a multitude of other things. I'm even enjoying Tovani's book right now, surprisingly enough. How often do we get assigned a book to read for a class and enjoy it?! And how sad is that question? I hope that through this class and exploring how to make reading more enjoyable for students, my students will not have to ask questions like that. Reading in class should make students curious so that they are encouraged to do their own research on those topics.

This week I read her chapter on accessible texts and how to find accessible texts for your classroom when your students' reading levels are all over the place. There is this new concept of "Text Sets". Depending on the subject, teachers can create boxes full of reading material at all different reading levels, all "organized into different units of study". Tovani does a great job of giving examples of how to create these sets for all different subject areas, and I love the idea of this! I'm not sure how much I love the idea of actually carrying it out though. 

For example: How much is it going to cost to collect all of these materials? I know that some of the materials could be printed articles, but books are going to make up most of the set. How long is this going to take to create the sets? This is NOT a cop-out and me wanting to take the easy way out. I'm earnestly wondering if this would need to be an entire-summer-long project. 

Here are some major "ups" of this idea of text sets: It offers students with all different reading levels opportunities to learn the material in a class. It reduces the frustration of students not being able to understand material. Students can gain the same information that they would receive in a textbook but in a more interesting way. There will be may options for readings texts with different lengths and structures. The information obtained should be relevant and allow students to make connections to other classes and their lives.

So what is the consensus? I love the idea of text sets, but they intimidate me. Especially in the area of mathematics. Maybe intimidation is good though. It will require me to work through something difficult just like I will ask my students to. Maybe I'll challenge myself and start coming up with a list of articles to use in a math classroom. I can keep a folder on my computer for different units and file the articles in there. I don't think on a college student's budget I'll be purchasing many books yet. :)

"Content Literacy - the ability of someone to interact with and use strategies to interpret the content of some subject (in its own language) including being able to speak, listen to, read, and write in that language"

{Sassy}

What is my Classroom's Brand?

I recently found an article that immediately caught my attention. The title seemed so relevant to life in general as well as this thing that I'm trying to become: a teacher. The article is called The Importance of Branding Your Classroom by Terry Heick. It was intriguing to think about. Our society is filled with brands and people make a living out of helping companies create a brand. Of course, the best examples given in the article were Google and Apple. Everyone knows these companies and what they do. Their brand tells us what to expect out of their products and how to use those products to their fullest extent. So how do I do this for my classroom? How do I brand my classroom, help students to know what to expect out of my class, and help them to know how to use my class to its fullest extent?

I can't say that this article answered my questions completely, but it did remind me of a TEDtalk that I watched a couple of months ago by Simon Sinek called How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Sinek frames his talk around Apple's success in branding and this thing he calls a magic circle. You see, most brands advertise by telling people what they make/do and how they make/do it. Apple is different. They tell people why they do what they do. Then they show people how they do it. Finally, they let us in on what they do. That reversal of the order as well as adding WHY they do something pulls people in. It makes us feel like we understand Apple more.

So what does this have to do with my classroom? I want to help my students, parents, other teachers, and administration to understand why I structure my classroom the way I do. Then they can see how I structure my classroom that way. And finally, they will discover what I do.

And the article? Heick (maybe without knowing it) helps us to make a connection between this TEDtalk's branding and our classroom. He gives us four lessons to help us make the connection: 1. Brand matters. 2. Brand must be emotional. 3. Accessibility comes first. and finally 4. Brand is the product of an ecosystem. I strongly encourage you to check out this article for yourself to see what Heick has to say. I have to admit that I originally just thought that "branding" my classroom would simply include lots of time searching for cute classroom ideas on Pinterest and lots of trips to Hobby Lobby. Now I see that it's going to take much more than that.

We've also been discussing think alouds in our content literacy class recently. Here is an example of a think aloud in a math class. In any think aloud, a teacher demonstrates to the students how they work through a problem or section of text and use strategies to make sense of it. This allows students to see how teachers' minds work when going through a difficult text. I plan on using this in my classroom in the future and having students practice it as well.

"Content Literacy - the ability of someone to interact with and use strategies to interpret the content of some subject (in its own language) including being able to speak, listen to, read, and write in that language"

{Sassy}

Inspiration

Do you ever read an article that a friend posted on Facebook or a quote that someone has pinned on Pinterest and feel so inspired? It might be a verse or a chapter in a book sometimes for me that I highlight AND underline. I need to share the knowledge I've just attained. Sometimes that knowledge is incredibly overwhelming at the same time though. I kind of feel like that is happening to me as I attempt to learn what content literacy is and how to teach my students how to "read" in different subjects. For example, here are a few of the quotes that I excitedly underlined this week and highlighted. 

"Teacher of any subject are going to help their cause by teaching their students to be better readers of their content. The industrial technology teacher didn't need to teach kids how to read poetry. He needed to teach students how to read directions and blueprints and whatever else students read in his class. Perhaps he does this reading so automatically that he isn't even aware of the skills required for it." Do I Really Have to Teach Reading by Cris Tovani p.25-26

Other times, that inspiration comes from a short but very clear talk. I will be the first person to tell you that I am a math nerd. I love it. I always do math homework first. I love helping my nieces with their math and pushing them to see how much they can figure out without being taught. Enough babbling... I just found this podcast by The Math Dude. Holy moley do I have a new math crush. Oh don't worry! Dan Meyer is still my main math man, but this new guy is slowly moving in... In this podcast he explains just a small part of how to understand the language of math. He literally took the words right out of my mouth. 

Students (and people in general) often say that "math is just not my subject" or "math and I don't get along very well." This could be due to an inability to speak math very well. I love that TMD (The Math Dude) compares math to a foreign language in which we need to be immersed in order to learn it. We also need "to speak it proficiently before we can use it efficiently." (Boy am I a sucker for cleverly placed rhymes.) This point almost begs teachers to teach their students how to read math. It begs for word walls in your math classroom like this one. Students need help learning this language and being immersed into the culture of math. Give them lists of words that they will see in the following units and allow them to sort these words into columns of "words I know and could teach to someone else" and "I have no idea". You can then allow students to help you in creating your word wall using words that are relevant and necessary in your classroom.

It may seem like I've gone off on a rant, but I've been inspired and so that inspiration had to be shared. Also, maybe if people know how inspired I am now, they'll continue to encourage me, as I become a teacher, to remember these lessons. 

"Content Literacy - the ability of someone to interact with and use strategies to interpret the content of some subject (in its own language) including being able to speak, listen to, read, and write in that language"

{Sassy}

Snow and a Learned Helplessness

As I'm writing this post I'm enjoying a view of white roofs and snow/grass men. (In the South we often do not get enough snow to make a man purely made of snow. He usually is covered in bits of grass as well.) But, I am cuddled up warm inside due to my "Learned Helplessness" of being a Southerner. I don't have the clothing appropriate for snow, nor do I know how to drive my car on the snowy roads.

Why did I bring up snow? And this "learned helplessness" thing? Well, there is a connection, I promise. I was listening to this podcast (#17) earlier and one of the first things discussed was learned helplessness. I think I've heard that phrase before, but for some reason it really caught my attention this time. The teachers on the podcast were discussing their classrooms and how students seem to come in to the classroom and immediately say, "I don't get it!" As teachers, it is our job to help students to "get it", but a lot of the time I feel like we, as teachers, are making our jobs even harder than they already are. Students have a job too. Their job is to learn. When assigned a reading or homework, if they don't immediately "get it" then it is their job to wrestle with it on their own until they can't anymore. Students are not taking ownership of their own learning. We often teach students a "learned helplessness" and make it all too easy to just give up. They know that after being assigned a worksheet we will write all of the answers on the whiteboard the next day. In my student teaching, students were even allowed to re-take tests for FULL credit with the help of their books. What are students learning from this? (I'm asking myself this as much as asking for your help understanding!) I also gained some insight on this topic from this blog post of a teacher relating her struggles of learned helplessness with her students.

The teachers went on to talk about reading which grabbed my attention again as I'm still trying to better define "content literacy". I am a good reader. I just am. My mom jokes that I learned to read in carpool lines. (Oh the joys of older siblings.) But I have always enjoyed reading. I like being read to. I never understood students in class who couldn't read very well. So, knowing this, you will understand how surprised I was to hear the podcast say, "We all thing we're good readers. {I don't think. I know.} But the truth of it is that we're all bad readers. {Maybe you are, but I rock!} It just depends on what reading we're given. {*jaw drops*}" Humbling. That makes sense. This also helped me to get into the mindset of a student who might have difficulty reading certain materials. It also makes me think that maybe different students should be given different readings that can push them but also encourage them and help them succeed. (I'm slowly realizing that teaching is more work than everyone thinks it is.)

So if some type of reading is difficult for everyone, what do we do when we hit that wall? I am too stubborn to give up, so I use a strategy. One strategy that we've been focusing on in my content literacy class has been double entry diaries. (This blog gives a great description of how to use and teach double-entry diaries.) You basically fold a piece of paper in half and write a quote or something from the "text" on the left side. On the right side you are supposed to add your thoughts or ideas on what you have written on the left side of the page. I've seen it used in math classrooms as well as literature classrooms and it seems to be a great strategy for some students. Not for me. I'm very much a highlighter and underliner. Sometimes I write in the margins if I need to. But there is nothing I like more than a good colorfully highlighted reading or book. It means I understand. Knowing this, I still know that many of my students are going to need different strategies. So I need to adapt. I need to learn more strategies. I want to know 15 ways to understand a text so that I can help my 15 different students understand their texts. I've got a long road ahead of me, but I'm up for it. But it will definitely require me learning just as much if not more than I am teaching.

"Content Literacy - the ability of someone to interact with and use strategies to interpret the content of some subject (in its own language) including being able to speak, listen to, read, and write in that language"

Oh, and the connection between snow and learned helplessness that I promised earlier? I realized that I am completely helpless about snow because I live in the wonderful South and have learned NOTHING about snow. It's cold and wet. And beautiful from a distance.

{Sassy}

Slowly But Surely Moving Forward

Week two of classes are now over and we've had more chances to talk about this Content Literacy thing. We read the first two chapters of our class textbook called Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12 and listened to this podcast to help develop our understanding. As we discuss and research this idea, I'm trying to come up with my own working definition. Currently it goes something like this:

"Content Literacy - the ability of someone to interact with and use strategies to interpret the content of some subject (in its own language) including being able to speak, listen to, read, and write in that language"

So... With that in mind, how should that change the way that I will teach in the future and how I prepare to teach my students? I think that, first of all, it propels me to be literate in both of my choice content areas of math and science. I should be able to read a math or science textbook with some level of ease. And if I cannot? Then I will be working from the perspective of my future students. They will encounter difficulties while reading these textbooks and I will encourage them to use strategies to help them to build an understanding of the books and content.

As my teacher said, "You don't read a textbook like you would a fairytale. That is, from cover to cover."I don't think that I've ever thought about reading textbooks differently than reading any other book. Being a "good student" I generally do all readings assigned including any boxes on the sides of pages. I never thought about there being a different way to read it, but I'm excited to explore those possibilities.

In the podcast mentioned above, a teacher spoke about being chosen as a Presidential award winner for her teaching of first and third graders. I found myself being slightly cynical when she was talking about having her first graders type up notes on technology and almost kicked myself. I'm supposed to be a new teacher! I of all people should be optimistic about teaching kids and all of the things that students are capable of! Why wouldn't first grade students be able to use technology in this way? It has shown me a part of myself that may tend toward cynicism which I will have to actively work against as I grow and learn as a teacher. My students are capable of so much! They just need someone to guide them as they learn, and what a blessing to be one of the people who gets to guide them!

{Sassy}

Learning To Be A Teacher

Hello all. Or no one [yet]. I am a college student going through school to become a Middle School Math and Science teacher. I have a passion for working with middle school students and a love for that moment when you've explained something to someone and they get it.

I have just started a class related to content literacy which I have just now learned about. In the best way that I can possibly explain it as a math-minded person, it is this: People talk about how math is a different language (because it is, and it is beautiful). Content literacy is learning how to read that language of math. I hope that makes as much sense to you as it does in my head. Like I said, I'm becoming a teacher which includes learning how to fully explain my thoughts on a subject and not having to constantly say, "Does that make sense?" After reading a few articles on the subject of content literacy, I've gotten at least a good idea of what the topic covers. One of the points that an article made was that literacy in a content (or language) includes the ability to speak, write, read, and communicate in that language. This means that I will be walking with my students as they begin to speak the language of math and numbers; write, configure, and translate the difficult problems; read the confusing, but well-meaning textbooks; and communicate to students, parents, teachers, and siblings what they have learned. It looks like I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Feel free to help me build a greater understanding of this topic or put it in different words!

Through this blog, I hope to build a network of fellow educators who I can communicate with and learn from. I am not too far from having my own classroom and the idea both excites and terrifies me. It would be so incredibly encouraging to go into my classroom my first year with a network of educators whose brains I can pick and get ideas from. I already have a small teacher crush on a few blogs, so get excited. You could already be or become one of them!

Now why have I made a decision to spend the rest of my life in school? Well... Like many other women, as a little girl I would gather my collection of dolls together and teach them simple math concepts. Of course, all of my students were brilliant and thought that I was "Teacher of the Year" material. That was a just a game for me. Or so I thought. Then as I got older, I discovered a love of cooking and baking. My plan then was to go to a culinary school and become an amazing chef. (Side note: I still love cooking and baking and use it as my relaxation and de-stressor from school.) When going through middle school, I was involved in the ministry at my church and became very close with most of the staff. Then, when I graduated from middle school and moved into high school, I did not want to lose those relationships, so I began volunteering with that same ministry. I found a love for the middle school age group and continued to volunteer with that ministry all throughout high school as well as college when I could. This passion for middle school aged students put together with my love for math and science resulted in my decision to become a middle school math and/or science teacher. It just made sense.

[Sassy]