SED 407 Reading Response: Daniels & Zemelman ‘Subjects Matter’ Chapters 9 & 10

D&Z present two more excellent structures for learning in these chapters: content-area book clubs and inquiry units. I definitely see the benefits of both and plan to use them in my future classes – but before I get into the details, a note on time. As I was reading, I made a mental note that I wanted to avoid going down the “These strategies are great but there’s no time for them due to curriculum demands and high-stakes testing!” path. I am a pre-service teacher with little understanding yet of how I will experience time in my future classroom, but there is definitely a gremlin in the back of my head screaming about how I won’t be able to teach the way I want to teach, the way I believe is good teaching. It’s easy to get stuck on the idea – but what a terrible starting place. I believe that in order to meet my responsibilities as a teacher and provide meaningful learning experiences for my students, I must make time for strategies such as book clubs and inquiry units. As D&Z say, “the effect [of such strategies] on students’ approach to learning and reading is just too large and too important” to not be doing such projects. To return to my response to chapter 6, making time for meaningful experiences means to “do less better”, to prioritize the curriculum in order to go deeper into fewer topics. (It’s interesting that D&Z note that this is what the NGSS suggest … the NGSS seem a bit overwhelming in terms of how much they cover – but they do emphasize cross cutting concepts and scientific practices…) Again, the idea is to engage students in real learning, to help them connect to the content and build transferable literacy skills – while a strategy such as a book club may not be teaching to the test, I think the benefits should carry over into test results. And anyway, as D&Z note the Common Core and NGSS are “desperately pleading” for students to be doing this kind of work (although maybe the tests are still not testing for it). So, don’t worry about time, just teach well.

We have looked at the use of content-area book clubs or literature circles in MLED 330 this semester and I am definitely sold on the idea. In science, I can see using literature circles with challenging primary source texts, biographies of scientists or historical texts about important scientific discoveries, and content-relevant fiction (such as the two books I read in my MLED 330 literature circles: The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly). I did a quick Google search for “literature circles in science classes” and found that there are many teachers doing this and sharing resources and lesson plans. This teacher blends the structure of a literature circle with the process of keeping a scientific notebook. Some of the roles given to students in this strategy are similar to traditional literature circle roles, but others are tailored to scientific literacy, such as the Inquiry Organizer whose role is to provide prompts for each part of the notebook (such as the hypothesis, materials, procedure, etc). As this other science teacher using literature circles says, “As adults, we know that scientists read all the time. In fact, scientific journals are the major way that scientific knowledge is spread. It is important for students to learn to read and interpret scientific knowledge as well. Literature circles are one relatively simple way to help students learn to read challenging articles and advance their scientific knowledge and excitement about the topic.” I appreciate this quote because I don’t think people realize that reading – and talking to other scientists about what you’ve read – is a huge part of science. Even if all my students don’t become scientists (I’ve almost accepted the fact that not all of them will ;)), I want my students to be scientifically literate citizens, to be able to read about science in the news, to have discussions with their family and friends about scientific issues, and to make scientifically informed decisions in the voting booth.

A few points that D&Z make about literature circles stick out for me. Role sheets should be used as “brief initial training” – the idea is that students are practicing specific strategies used by good readers individually so that ultimately they will be able to apply all these strategies more naturally when they read. D&Z point out that if role sheets are overused they “can swiftly morph into stultifying and mechanical make-work”, counteracting one of the greatest benefits of book circles, the development of a love of reading. I also really appreciate the guidance D&Z give on assessment of literature circles (most of which can be applied to inquiry projects too). I especially like the four part essay they describe on page 253 that asks students to reflect on the process as well as demonstrate knowledge they gained from the book – compared to a traditional book report, this essay is so much more valuable. I also really like the observation sheet they suggest teachers use as they observe students at work in their literature circles – I see the value of assessing students through such observations, but it’s good to have something to structure and document those observations.

I am a little confused by the concept of “backmapping” which D&Z discuss early on in chapter 10. It’s interesting incomparison to UbD – it almost seems like the opposite. With UbD, you begin with your desired results and then plan specific activities that will get you there. With backmapping, using the example D&Z use in the book, a project is planned and then the teacher works backwards to assign the standards the project addresses. Of course, this is only the opposite of UbD if you totally equate learning objectives with standards. In planning her inquiry project and all the activities that would be a part of it, the teacher used in the example likely started with her objectives and planned activities to meet them. I understand that standards are not the same as objectives, but there should be a relationship between the two, correct? Wouldn’t it be good to have an idea of the standards you want to address in mind as you are planning lessons? (Though the standards certainly should not limit your objectives.) I guess I am just confused as to what benefit D&Z see in backmapping. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

SED 407 Reading Response: Daniels & Zemelman ‘Subjects Matter’ Chapters 5 & 8

Once again D&Z have lots of good stuff to offer…

The wealth of strategies in chapter 5 is great, but before getting into those, it’s important not to overlook the idea of the gradual release of responsibility that D&Z state is the key to teaching the strategies. The “I do it, you watch; we do it together; you do it with my help; you do it alone” model reminded me of the “Main Idea; Example (I do); Group Practice (we do); Independent Practice (you do)” model of direct instruction we learned in SED 406. This model is tangible to me in the sense of a single lesson plan, the gradual release of responsibility over a class period. However, it’s interesting to think of the gradual release of responsibility over a more significant amount of time and spanning multiple lessons. I see the value in thinking of gradual release of responsibility at this scale, but it’s less obvious to me how this plays out in the classroom. It obviously requires a teacher being very tuned in to where her students are with particular skills. I found this brief overview of gradual release by Douglas Fisher, Professor of Language and Literacy Education at San Diego State University. Fisher says, “Importantly, the gradual release of responsibility model is not linear. Students move back and forth between each of the components as they master skills, strategies, and standards.” I find this idea of students moving between the components of gradual release helpful in visualizing the model in the classroom.

I can see using all of the strategies in chapter 5, depending on content and learning objectives – it’s comforting to have so many to work with. I think ‘Think-Alouds’ are great for modeling the thinking processes of a skilled reader and the way of thinking within a discipline and I agree that this is something a teacher should be doing on a regular basis. But as D&Z point out, despite how simple a strategy this is, it takes a lot of planning to do it well (though they do offer the variation of thinking-aloud with text you have never read before which is great too). Thinking-aloud is not a natural process, as so much of what skilled readers do when they read is subconscious – I think this is a strategy that will take some practice. There is more to it than there seems, so I am glad to have D&Z’s tips for doing it effectively

Reading workshops is another seemingly simple strategy that involves a lot more than just giving students time to read on their own. Minilessons, student journaling, one-on-one conferences, recording observations of student understanding, student sharing … these are all important to making sure that students are getting the most out of independent reading time. I think it’s interesting that D&Z refer to reading workshops as not only an instructional strategy but also as a “classroom management structure” (225). When reading workshops are done well, students are engaged, self-motivated, getting individual attention and differentiated support – I can see how this leads to a well-managed classroom in which meaningful learning can occur. I think this gets at the concern of making time for reading workshops as well. If students are engaged in independent reading in the content area, I think they will be more engaged in the content in general – so while reading workshops may take time, they support and deepen other instruction.

Here's a teacher who knows how to think aloud!

SED 407 Reading Response: Daniels & Zemelman ‘Subjects Matter’ Chapters 6 & 7

  

The picture above is from the office of the facilities manager where I used to work. He was an awesome guy – hard working, committed, and caring – he went above and beyond to care for the beautiful property at which we worked. But it was a huge property and there were many aspects to its management and I imagine at times the job was overwhelming. The note pictured above was pinned to a board in the facilities manager’s office – he had written it himself as a reminder that if he attempted to do everything, he wouldn’t be doing anything very well. Do fewer things, but do those things better.

I snapped a picture of this note because it spoke to me – “do less better” is an ideal I have been striving for my entire adult life, both personally and professionally. I thought of this picture as I was reading chapter 6 in D&Z – essentially “do less better” is what D&Z propose for textbook coverage and curriculum development. As they say, “teach a few things well and fully – and let some other stuff slide.” I love this idea – I think it is better teaching, leading to better learning, and it also relieves some of the pressure I imagine myself under when I become a teacher, pressure to cover a huge curriculum. But then I wonder, can I really get away with this? How much freedom will I have to let some stuff slide? I realize I keep asking essentially the same question and that it will depend on the climate of whatever school I end up at – but regardless of the expectations of the school I end up at, if I believe that “do less better” leads to better teaching and learning, then it is something I should fight for. Hopefully, if I am teaching well and my students are learning, this will be reflected in their assessment. As D&Z point out, textbook-based teaching isn’t leading to higher test scores – by superficially covering everything that might be on the test, students end up learning little. But, by doing less better – by helping students to uncover the reading (I love this idea of cover versus uncover), get at big ideas and “act upon them” – kids may actually do better on the tests even if they haven’t covered every little nugget of content. It’s encouraging that D&Z point out that tests are moving away from pure recall towards skills assessment, hopefully aligning better with “do less better” instruction.

Of course, doing less better requires prioritization. UbD, mentioned here by D&Z, offers a good filter for prioritization. I also like Isabel Beck’s three-tier vocabulary acquisition model – it’s a good lens to prevent getting hung up on those Tier 3 words that come across as so important in the textbook, but aren’t so crucial in terms of big ideas – the low utility terms. I think it’s especially easy for teachers and students to get hung up on these low utility words in science classes, so I am glad to have this model to help with that. I also appreciate that D&Z say “vocabulary work should be multimodal and multisensory.” Unfortunately, as a substitute teacher I see a lot of assignments where students are asked to simply copy definitions from the text, an activity they get nothing out of.  Sometimes they are asked to define new terms “in their own words”, but they are asked to do so when their only exposure to these terms has been reading the definition in the text – they haven’t played with, explored, or used the words, how can they be expected to define them in their own words, to have any ownership over them?

I appreciate the textbook activities D&Z offer in chapter 6 – I can see myself using all of them in moderation. I like how an activity like jigsawing creates an opportunity for students to “do” a subject, to act like real historians or scientists, making connections, sharing ideas, and building knowledge. 

I don’t have a ton to say about chapter 7 – there’s a lot of good stuff in this chapter …

know your students, respond to their interests – create a friendly classroom environment in which students feel safe to take risks – connect content to students’ lives – provide opportunities for students to work together and support each other and explicitly teach them skills for how to do so effectively – give students choices and responsibilities – foster self-esteem, character, and confidence – respect cultural differences – have high expectations – value communication with and between students – model the skills and behaviors of a passionate life-long learner

… all of which I think is very important despite my casual treatment of it here in this blog – but I don’t have much to add other than that I want to keep all this in mind when I teach. D&Z offer some good strategies about how to foster this kind of a classroom community which is refreshing because so often when I read about this stuff the message is simple “this is how it should be” without saying much about how to achieve it. I also like the perspective that D&Z offer that this classroom culture stuff is not just about making students feel good – it is important because it enables students to learn meaningfully and to develop a positive attitude towards learning. It shapes students’ roles as readers and learners, creators of knowledge – it gives personal value to learning beyond grades and pleasing a teacher.

SED 407 Reading Response: Strong ‘Designing Assignments and Rubrics’

I really love the simple yet powerful principles Strong offers for designing writing assignments – his list will be a good thing to keep handy, to check myself against lazy teaching. The CRAFT model is especially appealing – such a simple system for making assignments engaging and effective. Reading through the examples of CRAFT assignments, I was almost tempted to do a couple… how interesting would it be to pretend to be Hitler, writing a letter to Anne Frank in response to her diary? If I wasn’t so tired right now, maybe I’d give it a go. Certainly, this would be a more engaging assignment than to ask students to write this essay: “Diversity and discrimination are two major and related themes in this book. Where do these themes appear, and how do they work together to propel the plot of the book?” (Which I found here, along with several other painfully boring essay assignments.) The thought of writing that essay makes me want to cry… although, there was a time when I was writing essays like that all the time and could have whipped one up in a jiffy.

The CRAFT assignments seem like more fun for students to do (and would certainly be more fun for a teacher to read and grade) – I wonder though how most students would react to such assignments. Ideally, we imagine our students saying, “Oooo, this looks like a fun writing assignment that engages my interests, has personal relevance, invites critical thinking, and allows me to use my recently acquired knowledge in creative ways! Let me at it!” But for students who have lived through years of “Darth Vader” schooling, who can whip up a well-structured regurgitation of information in a jiffy as I once could, a CRAFT assignment is asking a lot of them. I imagine lots of groaning and eye rolling and confusion. This is not to say that we should give in to this resistance and resort to lazy essay assignments – in fact, it gives us all the more reason not to give in. Such assignments might make students uncomfortable, but that is the point – the challenge of writing in new and creative ways creates that cognitive dissonance that drives student learning. But I think it would be naïve to think that you could give an assignment like this to students who had never been asked to write in this way and expect them to take to it without some guidance and preparation. However, I think once they got the hang of it and saw how fun it can be, all those writing lasers would light up, fighting back the darkness. (Sorry guys, I’m really tired and I like that metaphor and wanted to sneak it in somehow.)

I had this idea for a CRAFT assignment where students take on the role of a mother cell, writing a letter for their daughter cells' baby scrap book about the day they were born ... "Next, during metaphase, all of my chromosomes lined up along my equater, coming together in one final embrace." ... OK, time for bed!