[MOSAIC] Nancy Atwell

[elaine garan]

"Although the things I do are well researched, the research does not  
blend the various approaches together, so some have told me that I  
really am NOT using researched based instructional practices. Some have  
said you can't pick and choose, that following a best practice needs to  
follow the research as closely as possible in order to be valid. The  
way I see it, I am teaching children, not lab rats. I have to try to  
tailor what I'm doing to fit the needs of the particular set of  
children in my classroom."

Joy-- Oh fiddle dee dee to whoever is criticizing you. You ARE  
following the research. The FEDERAL research actually states that  
teachers need to be flexible, to be decision makers and to balance  
their instruction. If someone can show me true, federal research that  
indicates that instruction must be standardized, follow a set sequence  
of skills, so help me I'll eat it. And I mean that. You are doing  
exactly right by your students by thinking and reflecting.

What i love about this listserve is how it pushes my thinking and  
causes me to reflect on issues that to me were somewhat settled in my  
head. I'd bet there's not a person on here who hasn't grown in their  
approach and in their thinking as a result of the conversation here. I  
am so weary of people who don't know what they're talking about quoting  
research that's already been misquoted. Kids indeed are not lab rats  
and NEITHER ARE TEACHERS. So fiddle dee dee to all those people who are  
so arrogant as to tell you what to do when a) many of them wouldn't  
know a real kid if one jumped up and bit them on the leg; 2) either  
don't know or don't care about what the research really shows us. The  
next time someone says that to  you, just smile sweetly and say, "Could  
you please show me the data to support that statement?" That will shut  
them up. If it doesn't, send it to me and I'll deconstruct it or put it  
in context and send it back to you. I'll give you who to quote and  
bullet- proof data.

That reminds me, I need to dig out the research on SSR. I'm finishing  
up my little children's book but as soon as it's done, I'll do what I  
promised.

On Jun 3, 2007, at 2:54 PM, Joy wrote:

> Thanks so much for this rich and diverse discussion. I love that we  
> can disagree yet still respect each other's opinions and practices.  
> I've been following this thread with great interest, because I've  
> always felt I didn't do a good enough job teaching the strategies.  
> I've been a bit heistant to talk in too much detail about my  
> practices, because my approach is so casual. I feel inadequate  
> sometimes among all the skilled and talented teachers on this list.
>
>   I model using the strategies through read/think alouds. I don't  
> drill, test, or do long drawn out lessons about them. We focus on the  
> literature. (Except determining importance, the kids LOVE the "House"  
> lesson, and I find it really helps them understand how they can have  
> different purposes for reading the same text.) I use whatever we are  
> reading in other subjects as a springboard for strategy instruction,  
> based on what the students need, and the type of text we are reading.  
> (It's not uncommon to hear a student say:  "Hey, I thought this was  
> math!"
>
>   This past year I reviewed each strategy briefly, since some of my  
> students this year had me in second grade (where they first learned  
> about reading strategies) and we had some new students who I knew  
> nothing about. (Plus, I'm not really sure what they did in third grade  
> and felt we needed to come together with a common vocabulary) Then I  
> dove right in with modeling as I did read alouds. I didn't focus on  
> any particular strategy, just pointed out my thinking while I was  
> reading. Sometimes this was during whole group instruction, sometimes  
> it was during Lit. Circles, sometimes during our individual SSR  
> reading conferences, or while students were doing research for their  
> projects. I tried to make it more of a conversation than a didactic  
> speech.
>
>   Some of the students would tell which strategy they found helpful  
> during book-tell, and I think that helped many of them realize how  
> natural using a particular strategy could feel. I'm all about them  
> enjoying their books, but I do have them keep track of what they are  
> reading, and what they are thinking while they are reading (even if it  
> is that they were surprised at a turn of events.) It has been very  
> powerful for my students to see the stacks of reflections of their  
> reading at the end of the year! (I keep them in a file and have them  
> reflect on them each month (Thanks Lori for your help with this one!))
>
>   I think it's important for me to remain flexible in my approach to  
> reading instruction so I can always give my students what they need  
> when they need it. I've had some criticism about what I do. Although  
> the things I do are well researched, the research does not blend the  
> various approaches together, so some have told me that I really am NOT  
> using researched based instructional practices. Some have said you  
> can't pick and choose, that following a best practice needs to follow  
> the research as closely as possible in order to be valid. The way I  
> see it, I am teaching children, not lab rats. I have to try to tailor  
> what I'm doing to fit the needs of the particular set of children in  
> my classroom.
>
>   I really do want to go deeper next year. The set of students that  
> are coming up has four students who are very capable thinkers, they  
> need help with expressing their thoughts and not blowing them off.  
> Then there are six or seven who have some major learning challenges,  
> for them decoding is still an issue. I can't wait to see how it works  
> itself out!
>
>   Thanks again for this wonderful, inciteful, and reflective  
> discussion.
>
>
>
>                 Joy/NC/4
>   jwidmann at rocketmail.com
>   How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and  
> content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Looking for earth-friendly autos?
>  Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.
> _______________________________________________
> Mosaic mailing list
> Mosaic at literacyworkshop.org
> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ 
> mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
>
> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
>