Core Principles for Great Teaching

Core Principles for Great Teaching

In this audio file, "Tom Newkirk, author of "Holding on To Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones", talks with Nancie Atwell, author of "In the Middle", about the core principles in their teaching."

I wanted to share this link, and will post my response shortly.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I have recently started to read Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, as a part of my Language Arts 6-12 course.  My partners and I have decided to focus on tolerance and acceptance of others through adolescent literature that deals with characters with autism. 
As I began reading this book, I found myself really entering the mind of a young man with autism.  The main character, Christopher, is a young man with autism.  He is dealing with the unexplained murder of his neighbor's dog and the accusation that he had something to do with it.  Though he knows that he is not guilty, he cannot help but become involved with the mystery.  His father, a man who deals with the strain of a son with a disability, makes him promise to leave the neighbor alone and not continue his hunt for the murderer.  Unfortunately, Christopher cannot keep himself from the search.  As we join him on the difficult task of finding the killer, we find out more about Christopher and his family.  His mother passed away a few years ago, but emotionally, Christopher really is not bothered.  Christopher is more concerned with what is going on with his life.  He has an obsession with colors, and focuses on how his day will be based on the color of the cars he sees on the way to school.  Red is good, yellow and brown are bad.  This obsession with color also carries over to the rest of his life...especially his food. 

In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning

This semester I have decided to read Nancie Atwell's popular book In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning.  It took more time than I planned to get this book, but I am glad that it made it!  I just started reading last night, and I found that it was more interesting than I every thought that it could actually be.  I found myself connecting with Atwell finding that I have so much in common with her teaching style, teaching background, and the kinds of students that she worked with when she was an active teacher.  Like Atwell, I also have been teaching students that come from a lower socio-economic status.  This leads to students that have many differences in culture, and reading abilities.  Though I have just started, I am looking forward to reading more of Atwell's writing!

As I start this book, I find that I have a lot in common with Nancie Atwell. At first she calls herself a creationist, but then says that in later years she is an evolutionist. Now these are not terms that you associate with science and the creation of man, but with teaching and how we create new lessons, ideas, and work for our students. I feel that I am at the precipice of creation and evolution. I have been teaching the same subject for a few years, and I find that instead of reinventing the wheel, that I am taking old ideas and tweaking them to fit my students and society. I am working on a project with my students now, and 3 years ago it was just a short lesson and writing project. Now, it has become a full-blown research project that involves more than just a few moments of reading and writing. So yes, I am making the move from creationist to evolutionist!

My Philosophy of Teaching

I wrote this for a Teaching Role Newsletter for another grad class, but I felt that it was something that was important to share with any teachers or future teachers of adolescent readers!

When I look back to my younger days, I realize that the times that I learned the most, was when I had fun.  I am not saying that the goofiest teachers were the best teachers, I am stating the fact that the teachers that went out of their way to create engaging lessons were the teachers that I remember the most fondly.  Their lessons stick with me, because they were memorable and enjoyable to learn.  The brings me to my philosophy of teaching.  I believe that students should enjoy their education.  If we want students to enjoy learning, then we need to create lessons that truly engage and enthrall our students.

We all know that it is nearly impossible to truly hold the attention of each and every student, but that does not mean that we cannot try.  It is my goal to have my students leave my classroom and have them tell others about how much fun they had while learning with me.  Now that is not to say that I want them leaving and saying that they love my class because they sat around and talked to their friends.  I want them to share what they learned with their parents, and profess that they actually had fun learning the information that they were sharing at the dinner table. 

I teach intensive students, students that have already given up on themselves, and that feel that the education system has given up on them.  My goal is to let them know that I care about their education, I care about their futures, and that I will show I care by working as hard as I can to teach them the concepts that they need to know in order to be successful in their futures. 

Engaging students is not about tricking them into enjoying learning, it is teaching them that learning can be fun if they are willing to try. 

So this is my philosophy: Have fun in class with your students, help them to learn to love education, not dread going to school.   Like reading, when we model our love for learning, we help students to do the same. 

 

The Importance of Reading at Home...

I am an 8th grade Intensive Reading teacher.  By that, I mean that I work with students that, on the whole, hate reading and do not comprehend what they have read in a meaningful manner.  The majority of my students are also ELL as well.  Because of this, my students are at a major deficit when it comes to reading and language acquisition.  You may ask, what does this have to do with adolescent literature?  If a student cannot understand what they are reading, they will not enjoy what they are reading, and if they do not enjoy it, then they will avoid it.  So in order to get our adolescents to read the many wonderful books that are available, we have to help them find the enjoyment in reading! 

So, how do we do that??  The first step is the easiest...read with them!!  There is nothing wrong, no matter what the age of your child, with reading along or with your child.  Your ability to model proper reading is so helpful in their ability to strengthen their reading skills!  Second step...read to yourself!  Yes!  Just by sitting at home and choosing to read, instead of firing up the television for an evening of "Must See TV", can make all the difference in the world!

When our children are growing up, they watch everything that we do and completely emulate us!  They want to act like grown-ups and do all that we do.  So why not choose something that can truly improve their quality of life and future!  Sit down, grab a book, start a family reading night!  Anything to have your child understand that reading should be an everyday event and that it is something that should be enjoyed, not dreaded!!

When it comes to discussing the best practices in teaching, I feel that one of the most important is communication with family.  Parents want to know what they can do to help their child, and in order for our students to learn, they must have the appropriate modeling at home.  Letting parents know that reading in front of or with their kids will help their children to truly appreciate literacy and education.  The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)  note that there are three ways that parents can read with their children.  They can have the child read to them, they can read to the child, and the parents and children can read together.  On the same topic, The International Reading Association (IRA) comments that “family involvement can be a powerful element of effective literacy instruction” and because of this, we should do all that we can to open the lines of communication between ourselves and parents. 

Books to Movies - Helping or Hindering Young Readers?

Over the past few weeks, my students have been reading The Hunger Games.  This book is a personal favorite of mine, and absolutely stunning in description.  After personally reading the book, I was really excited about watching the movie.  Unfortunately, it was a monumental disappointment.  I found that there were useless changes made in the movie that did not have to be completely different.  The one that bothered me the most, was the change in the character of Madge...or lack thereof. 
This insignificant change made me think about how my students would or had perceived this movie...if they had seen it yet.  Many of my students already had misconceptions about the book because they had already seen the movie and this was not a surprise to me.  What bothered me was the fact that they had a skewed vision of the story before they even read it.
Yes, this is very common.  Many people see movies before they read the book, but I always worry that young readers will choose to not a read a book just because they have already seen the movie.
While reading with the students, the happiest moment that I had was when my students noted how different the book and movie were, and how the movie was not as good as the book!  I felt that it was a triumph!!  In fact, I challenged my students to read Catching Fire before the movie came out.  It is my hope that they will read the book, watch the movie, and take the time to pick out the differences in the book and the movie.  It is important to me that my students are able to pick out subtle differences and understand why the changes were made.  I only hope that they continue to want to read books even if there will not be a movie made about it!

So I ask...when books are turned into movies, do you think that this helps or hinders our adolescent readers?

A Relfection on Blogging

It is hard to believe that I am writing my final blog reflection.  I feel like I stalled at the beginning of this project and have finally picked up the speed needed to make it something amazing.  Now that we are drawing to a close, I am finally realizing what this blog could truly become. 

I have been slowly adding more information since we last met in class.  Your suggestions have shown me that I can add more than useless widgets that are just advertising for websites.  I loved that I could add links to all of the authors that I have been reading over the semester.  My plan is to continue to add to my blog in order to make it a great resource for my fellow teachers.  Once you showed me that I could add different links and labels, I decided that this blog could me more than just my thoughts about books, it could be a great place to showcase the work that I do with my students, and the lessons that I have used and created on my own.  Tonight, I was excited to share my Thematic Unit Plan on the blog, but eventually would like to create my own website to display my plan. 

When this project was first assigned, I entered it with much trepidation.  I had never created a blog before and was not sure if I could create something that met my high standards.  I am a perfectionist, and I am still trying to set up my blog to be aesthetically pleasing and user friendly. 

I think that the hardest part of this blog was knowing what was appropriate to post.  At first, I thought that I should only post full summaries, then I thought that it would be ok to just post my opinions on books as long as they were rich and full of great information, but after seeing so many blogs tonight, I find that many people have varied their post from long and rich to short opinions that they share about their books.  I want to create the best blog possible, but I do not want it to seem contrived and boring.  Since we only have a few more weeks left, I am hoping to take some time to vary the types of blog posts that I share.  I want them to all be lengthy and full of important information, but sometimes I just want to add short thoughts that I have when I am in the middle of reading my books. 

While doing this project, I also discovered that I could post on my blog from the Blogger App on my cell phone.  If I would have known that I did not always have to share extensive posts, I would have posted more often and whenever the ideas struck me.  I tend to have great ideas for my blog while I am at work, but unfortunately we are unable to access them during the day.  It is difficult to type out huge posts on a phone, so being able to share my thoughts or moments that happen during a lesson would be a great addition to my blog. 

I guess that the general thesis of my reflection is that I have been searching for the perfect way to improve my blog and make it great.  I am not sure if I will ever reach that perfect place, but I think that I have grown immensely in my ability to control, create, and change my blog.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be enjoyed by all and that it will become something useful that I can share with my co-workers and teaching friends, and that eventually strangers will access it as well in order to find information to improve their teaching as well!

Strength and Perseverance: The Cornerstone of Any Good Plot

When thinking about what type of books to read for my reading project this semester, I focused on what I would like my students to see in a main character.  The answer to me was simple; Strength and Perserverance. 
My biggest fear for my students is that they will give up when they are required to do something that is challenging, as much in school as in their life.  My students do not have the easiest lives to begin with, but what I want for them is to be able to succeed in the face of anything that could beat them down.  That is why I decided to choose the themes of Strength and Perseverance as the cornerstone of my book choices.

For the most part, I was quite successful.  Many of my characters had to make difficult choices and deal with events that would otherwise cause them to quit, if they were not strong.  One of the best examples would be the character of Sahara in the book Sahara Special.  Sahara is a an introvert and has been hurt in the past, but is now just trying to be a normal student.  She aches to fit in, but is so afraid to be herself in front of others that she just pushes others away.  After her new teacher arrives, Sahara finds that she finally has someone that she may be able to trust.  She begins to harness her strength and slowly come out of her shell.  She turns from a wallflower into a normal young girl with ambitions and many dreams.

Strength and Perserverance is not just about rising to challenges, but dealing with the hardships of every day life.  Sometimes it takes a lot just to make it through the day and still survive.  Characters throughout history are forced to deal with events that are bound to destroy them, but they are able to find their strength and inner desires and overcome what has been put in front of them. 

It is my dream to share the strongest of characters with my students, in the hopes that they will connect with at least one, and that it will help them to be brave. 

A Response to: Young Adult Fiction: Let Teens Choose

Young Adult Fiction: Let Teens Choose

As I work with my students, I have been thinking more and more about how they choose their books.  I have been focused on the types of books that they read, but not so much about how they choose them.  Recently, I happened to find an article, on The Huffington Post, that discusses a point that I feel is quite interesting.

The author, Chris Crutcher, discusses how many parents have been complaining about the "dark" nature of books these days.  That idea started me thinking about the type of books that I see my students reading.  I understand that many parents see the book covers and assume that darkness will follow, but I will admit that most young adult novels are just about teen life and the issues that they face everday.

One of the biggest problems that kids have is choosing a book that is interesting to them, and the second is that their parents buy books for them that are not something that can hold their attention.  Kids today do not have a desire to read.  They would prefer to watch TV, go to the movies, text, or just hang out with their friends.  Where most people would say, "Well of course!  Kids have always avoided reading!", but I say that the number is growing. 

Kids need to be able to figure out what books they want on their own.  I applaud the parent that takes their child to the library or bookstore, and encourages them to sit and read through different books...not just choose their books by the cover.

I agree with Chris Crutcher, he says that kids should choose their own books, not have books given to them.  If we want to our kids to start reading again, we have to show them that they have to trust their interests when picking their own books. 

Notes from the Midnight Driver

Notes from the Midnight Driver
By Jordan Sonnenblick
Lexile 930

Alex has made mistakes in his life and does not deal well with the problems with his family.  After having to deal with a cheating father, and a mother that does not condone his negative behavior, Alex goes for a drunken joyride to numb his pain.  His mother’s car is his weapon, and his victim is an innocent, $500 gnome.  Because of his wild ride, he is now given the task of committing to 100 hours of community service with a cross old man, Sol, in a nursing home. Though Alex tries to not care about Sol, over time he finds that they have the common love of music, and the pain of family problems. 

Alex is a guitar player, as Sol once was as well. Bonding over their love of music, Alex finds out that Sol was not always so irritated and angry.  He once had a life filled with the love of his life and daughter.  Much like Alex, he lost all of those things and regressed into a life filled with misery.  A side story includes Alex’s love of his best Laurie.  He does not realize how much he cares about her until Sol starts cracking jokes and tries to make Alex jealous by calling Laurie his wife.  By the end of the book, Alex and Sol have become close friends whom care about one another very much.  On the evening of a dance that Alex is attending, Sol becomes ill and is taken to the hospital.  Before dying, Sol gives Alex his old guitar as a sign of their friendship.  The story closes with Alex discovering that the judge that issued his community service was actually Sol’s daughter…

After reading this book, I felt that it was actually fantastic for my students.  Though there were some allusions of sexual activity between Alex and Laurie, it never crossed the line of being inappropriate.  Honestly, I felt like a lot of my students could understand where Alex was coming from in this story.  A lot of my students have unresolved anger issues, and they also get in trouble with the law.  I almost wish that some of them would be assigned community service so that they could also learn kindness and understanding for others.  I enjoyed reading this book, and found that it was hard to put down.