[MOSAIC] Bill - being different

[Bill Roberts]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy" <pierceck at comcast.net>

> Hi Bill,
> I'm not entering the whining discussion, but I was thrilled to see a 
> couple of your comments!  You commented about children feeling they hadn't 
> learned anything before they got to your class!  PLEASE share what is 
> different about your class!  I teach in a school with many slow students 
> and though I am elementary rather than middle (as I believe you are) I 
> want to do the best that I can for these kids.  I view it as MY fault when 
> they don't pass the test and I'd love to hear what you think makes the 
> difference.  Thank you in advance.
> Cindy/VA/2nd
> _______________________________________________
>

Hi Cindy,
I don't think I'm doing anything different than most on this listserv, but 
the first day of school I have the students do an essay about themselves and 
their reading habits and opinions.  In fact, I spend a lot of time the first 
few weeks of school getting an idea of where they are coming from.  That's 
where I know many have such negative attitudes.  I gather lots of data such 
as reading speeds, reading levels, word recognition levels, phonemic 
knowledge, etc. and that tells me a lot about what they know.  I also have 
them fill out a personal intersts form which gives me ideas on books they 
might want to read.  I also avoid stressing about the state test.....most 
are so tired of hearing about the state tests that they are burned out on 
it.

I do confront them with their reading with such activities as:

they'll read a selection for fluency then I'll ask them to tell me what they 
read....most can't even tell me the topic of the selection.....that's when 
we discuss ACTIVE reading.

they read orally and are told to present it as dramatically or crazily as 
possible so they think of reading as fun (imagine GREEN EGGS AND HAM read by 
Shakespeare)....

I will assign a story in the text and watch what happens when each reads. 
Many are lip readers or have other habits they need to correct....

I also watch to see how many actually read the assignment and how many just 
skip to the questions to answer them without reading the selection!  I won't 
even assign the questions, but they are so conditioned to ANSWER QUESTIONS 
that they automatically do it.  I'll stop them and ask how many were 
reading....and how many were answering questions.  Most will be answering 
questions.  I teach them that reading is NOT about answering the questions, 
but about reading and comprehending....

i emphasize reading for fun versus reading for AR points or scoring well on 
the state test or because they have to...

i have them read different sizes of fonts and show them how larger fonts 
make for easier reading....

and even though they are 8th graders, we still read picture books and 
discuss them....

i have them read selections on different colored paper so they can see if 
they are sensitive to certain colors and if any particular hues can help 
them to read better....

i tell them it's okay to skip boring parts of a book.....

i tell them it's okay to put down a book if it gets boring after a chapter 
or three....

i ask them about teachers who assign reading for homework, then ask them how 
many "read" the assignment....most say they did, but then we discuss how 
many of them could talk about what they read.  Most can't because their 
previous teacher didn't stress comprehension and just told them to read the 
chapter.  Most read the chapter because they don't see the difference 
between sounding out the words and comprehending....

most importantly, we TALK.  We discuss making connections, purpose, 
inferring, etc.  Admittedly, being 8th graders, they can often infer things 
that are questionable, but i allow it....within reason....

PLUS, I don't give tests.  If a child reads a selection based on his or her 
background, they may have a different interpretation of the story.  Are they 
wrong?  Of course.......NOT!  Reading is a synthesis of reader's schema and 
author's purpose.  I use the example from "Night Before Christmas" where the 
narrator "threw up the sash" and ask the kids about the 2 possible meanings. 
Many will say he vomited 'sash' while others infer it's a curtain or screen. 
Is anyone wrong?  No.  So we discuss personal interpretation versus 'correct 
answers'...

Because I don't give tests, we have goals and we check our growth.  Year end 
goals are 150 wpm orally, 300 wpm mentally, and raising reading levels 
closer to grade level.  If someone already reads at those goals, I give them 
higher ones.  If someone is too low such as at 2nd grade level, I set their 
goals at 1 or 2 levels higher and we adjust through the year.

If you notice, much of what I mentioned are attitudes about READING that are 
formed from previous teachers and classes.  I've had many students who had a 
teacher (or even a parent!) tell them they were stupid back in 4th grade, 
but they still have it in their heads that they are stupid and refuse to 
try.

Finally, many teachers just present the material and expect kids to learn. 
I spend part of my time showing them how to learn.  We discuss making 
connections with information and how to learn.  I ask them if when they were 
younger, did they ever ask their teachers, "WHY?" and most say yes.  I ask 
them how many do it now and no one does.  They tell me teachers often didn't 
answer their questions and we talk about how some teachers don't know the 
answers and are embarrassed so they avoid answering the questions or how 
they only know what's in the textbook so they are often unprepared for 
questions outside of the box.  Then we talk about how we have to form our 
own answers and how reading helps prepare them to do so.

I don't have all the answers and sometimes I feel as if I don't have ANY 
answers.  I hope this helps....
Bill