First of all I am placed in Cumberland elementary, where a very diverse group of second graders are learning the fundamentals of literacy. Every week Mrs. Walker (my CT) has set up a group of morning literacy stations, 25 in total. The students are broken down into groups of three or four and visit 5 stations a day, resulting in every student visiting every station by Friday. While I see a lot of the positive out comes of group work I see a distancing of teacher involvement.
Some of the stations include: worksheet on spelling (fit the shape of the word in the shape of the box), worksheet for proofreading, sit down time with Mrs. Walker, and there is also a listening center where they listen to a story on tape. When reading the Almasi article the line, “Peers can function as tutors for one another as they learn how to interpret text” popped out at me.” I felt popped out at me. I think this is one of Mrs. Walker’s goals with in her classroom community. A lot of the time students are asking each other questions and many respond back with positive responses. On the down side of that there are also students who have a stronger temptation to cheat because of the independence they are receiving when Mrs. Walker is aiding another group.
The best thing I have learned about my students when it comes to literacy is that they LOVE to be read to. Whenever we have a spare second they are always asking for me to read to them. I think this is when most of the scaffolding takes place (and in Mrs. Walker’s station). What I have learned is that they love feeling involved with the reading. So to get them involved I read aloud a sentence or two, and then they read to me for however long they feel comfortable. Sometimes it’s only a couple sentences and sometimes I’m helping them to sound two or three words. However, regardless of their reading skills, they all show an eagerness to learn.
In the Goldberg article it states, “Perhaps most important (in a discussion), he or she (the teacher) manages to keep everyone engaged in a substantive and extended conversation weaving individual participants’ comments in a larger tapestry of meaning.” I think this is so vital, yet I also see this lacking most in my classroom. I am interested to see as time goes on how she incorporates more scaffolding in her classroom, because I am not sure if I see much of it right now, besides in her read aloud. I think next week I will observe what is going on in her specific station and take better observations of what goes on there. Until next time, Olivia
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I'm definitely pleased to hear that your students are so involved with reading and love to be read to. I feel like in a lot of schools today, children are very unmotivated to do have anything to do with reading. I wonder if it's the just the personalities of the children, or if it's the centers that the teacher has provided for them. I'm always curious to see how a teacher would start out their year and get their students motivated about different subjects. Do you know if the students were always interested in reading or being read to?
I think litearcy stations are a great idea, yet I've never seen them done before in the classroom. Is it always in small groups, or is it more directed towards individual work? I also definitely agree with your comment from teh Almasi article, that "peers can function as tutors for one another." I believe that the more children get to interact with one another, the more it will help benefit across several areas. I'm still surprised, but very pleased to hear that second graders are actually asking questions and responding back positively.
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