I am reading the text Reading Essentials: the Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well by Regie Routman. I really don't think I can ever read enough about how to teach reading. I've read many books on this subject, but I always discover a new way of thinking about it from every author. I suppose there are as many perspectives on this subject as there are ways that children learn to read. It kind of becomes an individual approach for the child and the teacher as each has to learn what works best for each other.
Chapter 1 is titled "Simplify Your Teaching Life." It discusses the realities of teaching and what teachers need to consider as they determine what is vital for reading instruction for their students and for them as teachers. Routman states his purpose for writing this book was, "...to make your life easier, to put some fun back into your teaching, to clarify difficult issues, and to rethink what's truly essential for students to become lifelong readers and thinkers." (p. 4). Sounds like he has the answers...I sure hope so!
He mentions all the issues that we hear every time teachers gather such as there is too much curriculum to cover, too many students in the classroom, too many extra duties beyond the classroom, less resources to work with, and so on. It's no wonder we can feel exhausted and burned out! And then, teachers get the blame many times for the low test scores. With all this negativity, it is easy to let that filter into the classroom. But we can't let that happen!! We desperately need to find the joy in teaching and let that be the focus in our classroom. Remember our attitudes reflect onto our students....we need to find reasons to smile more.
Robert Marzano states in his book, Classroom Instruction That Works, that the teacher is the single most influential factor in determining student success. Don't think of this as more pressure, but this about why we need to critically examine what we are doing and why we are doing it. It seems teaching has gotten more difficult and maybe it doesn't need to be. Maybe we need to simplify as Routman suggests. I'm not sure what the answers are, but I don't think it can continue like it is. We seem to be going nowhere fast and getting more frustrated along the way.
Routman suggests that teachers reflect on (1) being as knowledgeable as you can be, (2) remember there is no one "right" or best way, (3) question the research and the programs, and (4) teach every child as they need to be taught. The main point I took from this chapter was to strive to become that devoted teacher who loves her students and will do what it takes to help them succeed. Not an easy task but it is a goal.
Rae- I'm excited that we are reading the same book. It's always interesting to see what each person takes from the same text. Goes to show how our discourses effect our learning. I'm not sure how much you have read in the book, but something you said in this post triggered something I read in chapter 4. I do not know how familiar you are with the Reading First initiative. For the first 6 years of my life as a Kindergarten teacher we were a "Reading First" school. As part of the framework students who tested as "High Risk" and "Some Risk" according to DIBELs were put into 60 and 30 minute intervention groups where they were drilled on skills such as letter naming, phonemic awareness activities such as initial sound recognition and phoneme segmentation. I saw how effective these strategies and this intervention were to their progress in the classroom. However in our book Routman speaks against this type of isolated drilling. How do you feel?
ReplyDeleteRae- I agree with what you said, that we should be opsitive in the classroom. I think learning and teaching should be fun, so I put all my fun positive energy into each teaching day. And the more you give, the more you get back in return. One of my autistic students wrote a thank-you letter to me at the end of the school year, and addressed it to: "The Joyful Teacher". That was such a compliment for me!
ReplyDeleteYour optimism and enthusiasm is not only beneficial for the child, but it also makes your day better. We have to protect our students and their learning from the challenges we face from the outside.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great! I agree that it is very easy to bring in negativity into the classroom. Teachers need to keep in mind why they are teaching and keep a positive attitude. A positive attitude makes a HUGE difference!
ReplyDeleteI agree on the fact that you can never read too much about reading! I love gathering tidbits and ideas, plus I love the enthusiasim that comes through in books like these. I am glad that we are reading the same book, I like hearing your opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a lot of people are reading this book! Well, I'm glad that you are reading it so that I can read ABOUT it! :) I think that it is crucial for teachers to question the "research" and the programs that pop up all over the place--it's like chasing after the next best thing syndrome and we never actually give anything a real shot. We need to be devoted to our students like you said and do what it takes to help them succeed!
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great thing that this book mentions the realities of teaching and what we as teachers need to consider before working with our students and reading. This is perhaps something a lot of teachers overlook, so reading this in chapter 1 of a book is refreshing. I loved that you mentioned the negativity that is sometimes associated within the schools. As a sub, I was in the teachers lounge from time to time and was absolutely amazed at some of the things I heard. I think in every teacher's career, he/she can forget why exactly they are where they are. This chapter sounds like it would be a great read to remind them of that passion they obviously had when they decided to go into teaching!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. I think positivity is crucial for a learning environment. Students can feel a teacher's enthusiasm. If a teacher is sending out negative vibes I think students pick up on that. I have to remind myself of this when I am presenting information that I don't find interesting. This is something that is always in the back of my head. Student's are very aware of a teacher's position on a subject.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that there is not one quick fix to teaching reading. Teachers need to use a variety of materials and use what's best for those students he/she has at the time.
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