100 Languages

Endorsements

2008-11-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

This blog was taken from my classroom website. I originally wanted to share it with the parents in my classroom, but then grew curious of how the rest of the web would respond to it. Let me know what you think.

Last month Esquire magazine published its endorsements for the 2008 elections. The letter from the editor was interesting because it talked about how his staff took it one step further to discuss things that they endorse in their day-to-day lives. The endorsements ranged all the way from Old Spice deodorant to Limes. After sending around an e-mail to my friends with my day-to-day endorsements I decided to pen five things that I see as educational endorsements. These are things that I feel are important to the development of children both emotionally, physically, and cognitively. Here we go . . . .

Good Books- Everyone knows how important it is to read to and with their child on a daily basis, but many people do not stress the importance of what they are reading with their children. There are many different types of literature for children at this stage of development. The books that I am addressing at this time are classics. Many children are still learning to read and are stuck in the rut of "The fat cat sat on the mat," type of literature. I know that some research finds value in this for developing readers, but when this is all that they get to experience, I feel that they are missing out on so much of what the literary world has to offer them. Follow this link to a wonderful webpage that lists children's books by the awards that they have received.

Creeks- I grew up with a creek in my back yard and I can not tell you what a wonderful thing it was for both myself and my mother's development (for the hours I was there she was actually able to watch Opera in peace, or so she said). I spent hours at that creek building damns, looking under rocks, racing leaves, and sometimes just jumping around in what my mother deemed my "creek shoes". Now I know that not everyone has a creek in their back yard, but next time you go to the Green Way, or any other public park, let your little ones wear an old pair of shoes so if they want to venture out a bit it will not hurt them.

Dinner Table Conversation- I know everyone and his brother fusses about this one, but it is for a good reason. Having genuine conversation with a child is one very important piece of your child's development. In the past experts claimed that the television was the demise of this cultural past time, but now I am interjecting that one of the other things that causes less families to eat together might be organized sports. I know how difficult it must be taking two or three children to different sports practices each day, but I still cannot stress the importance of this endorsement for a child's educational development.

Bicycles- I loved my bike more than anything in the whole world when I was little. I remember when I learned to ride my bike, I felt more free than when I was given my drivers license. Put air in those tires and grab the helmets and let your children loose on the streets.

Sets or Kits- I saved the best for last. Of all of the things I mentioned above this one was my favorite. Too many of today's toys are already a product. They have a use or a purpose already. Children do not have anything to offer to the toy. When I was little I had a Wood Burning kit, an Erector Set, a paint set, and a set of colored pencils. I also remember when Legos were just Legos and didn't come with an already planned end result in mind. Sets and kits encourage creative development in a way that computers, coloring books, and plain pieces of paper cannot.

An Outsider's Perspective

2007-12-30T03:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago a board member stopped by our school for a Community Meeting where she addressed parents about "hot" topics in our district's schools. As we all imagined it would, the new mathematics curriculum was the primary topic that was addressed during the meeting. I was one of the few teachers present for this meeting, so I was one of the only ones who questioned the following statement made by this particular board member. In regards to the new math curriculum she stated, "We are moving away from a direct instruction model to one where our children's teachers are now standing with their hands behind their backs and waiting for the children to arrive at the answers by themselves."

At first I was appalled by this presumption that this is what we as teachers are doing on a daily basis. Then I decided to take a moment and step outside of myself and see things from her point of view. I posed the following questions for my own reflection:

Why is direct instruction seen as authentic learning?
What is it about student centered instruction that makes teachers appear to be passive observers?

Direct instruction is a model where teachers are standing in front of the class "teaching" while students sit quietly in their desks "learning." Teachers hold the children's attention using exhaustive body language and sporadic questioning. From an outsiders point of view I can see the teacher is working hard delivering the information that the children must acquire. They are on stage putting on the performance of a lifetime and well earning their pay. This appears to be authentic teaching, so children must be learning what is being taught.

In the case of student centered instruction, teachers pose questions to the class and then the children take it upon themselves to work through hypothesis and engage in conversation with their peers about their ideas. Then the class meets back and children share their conclusions with their teacher and their classmates about what they have found. In this model the teacher appears on the outskirts of the classroom "standing with their hands behind their backs and waiting for the children to arrive at the answers by themselves." Now as an outsider I can see how this would look like a teacher not working as hard as in the previous direct instruction model provided above.

Now the problem with student centered instruction is the work that the outside observer doesn't see. The bulk of the teachers work isn't in the lesson; it is in the preparation and reflection of the lesson. First a teacher must consider which questions will most provoke students to become engaged in the concept that they are exploring. This takes a deeper knowledge of the curriculum and the children inside of the class. The same questions cannot be used year after year because different children might not respond to them the same. Next the environment must be carefully planned in order for the children to have the best setting in order to explore the ideas presented. The teacher must plan for what materials need to be readily available for the children to use, or in what ways the children should be grouped to encourage the greatest amount of conversation about what they are learning. Then the teacher needs to pose their own questions that they will ask the children about what they are doing in order to understand where the child's thinking is coming from or initially headed. Finally after the lesson has concluded the teacher must then revisit the children's conceptions on a child-to-child basis and plan on how instruction will reflect these findings the next day. Which children need to spend more time with the concept, and which children will need to explore the concept from different angles in order to enrich their understandings?

As a teacher I see each of these steps because I am present for them on a day-to-day basis. I have a difficult time seeing this progression of a well planned lesson as "standing with my hands behind my back." But in the end I have to think about which is worse, an outsider's misconceptions of authentic instruction, or children forced to participate in a curriculum that leaves them listening all the while with their hands behind their backs?

Il Che Fare Degli Adulti

2007-06-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I always find myself in the summer time returning to the roots of what inspired me when I began teaching. I keep a core set of books on the desk in my office that I go back to and read again and again. Every time I read these books I notice something different that normally has something to do with what I am struggling with at that time as a teacher.

The title of this blog comes from a book published in 1995 titled "Le Fontane," or "The Fountain." In this book Loris Malaguzzi discusses "The 'what to do' of the teachers." The role of the teacher, according to Malaguzzi is to "offer carefully measured, pertinent loans of knowledge and skills."

When I reflect on my conversations with the children in my class, I rarely feel as if I am taking the time to "carefully measure" what I am lending to my children during the day. I spend a great deal of time leading discussions and guiding children, but all to often I find myself controlling the flow of the discussion. I wonder if I would listen better if I thought of my understanding of different concepts as something I was "lending" the children. And with this, I would also question how much of what I say could be classified as a pertinent loan. A lot of times I find myself wanting the children to "get there faster." My impatience often times takes away from the time that they need to really make deep connections to help them understand what they are investigating. So my questions would be....

How does the concept of "lending" information take us away from a direct instruction model?
How can we make sure that we are "carefully measuring" the amount of information that we lend to children?

Authentic Evaluation

2007-05-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Last week the Superintendent of Schools stopped by for a visit. My principal contacted me by phone about three days before she was due to arrive to let me know that he would like to have her stop by my classroom to observe me teaching. Now, as we all know when company is coming over we make a big-to-do about preparing for their arrival. I am no different, so I spent hours searching through pictures that I have saved on my computer that I could publish. I also made sure that I planed extra well for the lessons that I would teach that day so that everything would run smoothly. And I worked hard to make the documentation of children’s work the number one priority for the next three days. Needless to say that the Superintendent was busy and never made it by my class while I was teaching, instead we arranged a meeting to discuss concerns about the curriculum that the teachers on our grade level had.

So the question that I am going to pose is, “Why do we do that which children deserve when adults are present?” Please don’t get me wrong I do a good job of lesson planning, documenting work, and responding to children’s curiosity; but I normally do not do as good of a job as I did those three days. It is the same when you know you are being evaluated by an administrator, you step up your game and the children benefit. I will have to say that I am a little disappointed in my actions last week. I put the idea of impressing the Superintendent over that of impressing my children who I should be working for first in the classroom.

How do we begin to value the child as the evaluator of our work, instead of the administration?

What steps to we take to make sure that we do not loose touch with what children disserve?

Creating an Environment

2007-04-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

This last Friday morning I was in my classroom when I looked up and saw this image in our writing center. I witnessed four children working alongside each other, quietly sharing their work and ideas on a common writing assignment about a little girl whose kite took her away with the wind. Small moments like these fill my heart with pride as I see children interested in the process of learning in a shared environment.

Many educational psychologist reference the importance of relationships, communications, and interactions between children as they construct their understandings. The children in this picture have spent time this year learning to trust each other, and communicate effectively about their work. An environment rich with shared spaces and time to interact provides children with a different piece of an educational puzzle.

How does this environment change children's work?
What other steps can be taken to give children the space they need to formulate strong concepts with their peers?

A Walk Towards Knowledge

2007-04-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am taking the title of our first blog from a gentleman in Reggio Emilia named Sergio Spaggiari. He described working with children as a "walk towards knowledge". This "walk" is a metaphor for the exploration of day to day experiences coupled with reflection and research about our work alongside children. I plan to use this blog as a tool for myself to communicate with parents and peers about the inner workings of our classroom. Since I feel that all true learning cannot exist inside of a vacuum, I open the floor to all comments from children and adults alike who would care to help shape the "path" that our walk will follow.