I have been a
participating member of the RTEACHER Listerve at www.reading.org. From my experience during the first Listserve Discussion period I
learned that a - the Digest was an awkward and unreliable form of communication
and b – that I could log onto RTEACHER directly, view the latest archives and
respond to them from within the archive site.
For the second Listserve Discussion period I used the Listserve archive
area in this way, as a Bulletin Board discussion area.
My weekly routine included checking the archives 3-4 times per week to review the topics under discussion and to choose the topics I wished to respond to. My responses included direct communication with a posting (14) , following up internet links included in a discussion (6), saving/filing postings with information useful to me (23), forwarding information to other teachers (2), and making a note of resources to pursue in the future. Each subsequent visit to the site involved checking for answers to my own posting and reviewing the posting of others.
Eventually, I devised
a routine for downloading discussions I was involved in or those which had
information which I wanted to save for future reference. The most efficient way for me to do this was
to copy the desired text and paste it into a *.txt document labeled with the
subject of the discussion. In addition
to saving copies of each discussion thread I was interested in, at the end of
each week I copied the full archive page and saved it as a *.mht file so that I
would have a contextual zed record of the threads I was saving. This record has significantly helped me as I
reflect on my participation and learning in this activity.
For a summary of all
discussion topics I participated in and observed, see the attached document RTEACHER Discussion log.doc .
Well, I’ve learned
TONS. After overcoming my initial
frustrations with the process of how this Listserve works, I began to notice
that there were some really cogent topics being discussed. and I realized that, if I paid attention, I
could learn a lot from those who were posting.
I think we were only required to participate in two topics … but it was
hard for me to resist the wealth of opportunity spread out before me. I’ve spent so many years in remote
allocations with few available resources.
I tend to be a glutton when things DO become available to me. My focus was on topics that a- would
fill-n-the-gaps regarding competencies for this course, b – were personally
intriguing, and c – would help me in training others. A few highlights:
Re: Accelerated
Reader – I observed that there are mixed feelings about this program. Many teachers seem to see it largely as an
incentive program (despite the designers disclaimers otherwise). I also observed that there is no real agreement
on whether it is a good or a bad program.
There was not very much discussion about effectiveness. I wanted to know why there is a disconnect
between the Reading Panel’s analysis and that of Topper, who wrote an article
posted within IRA’s Online journal. I
learned that the short answer is that the National Reading Panel was politically
biased, according to some – and so, the “research” is not all equal. This will take a lot more time to sort out
if I want a fuller answer.
Re: Multiple Levels
in One Classroom – The discussion was centering on concerns about how to grade
– according to growth or according to standards? i.e. which is fair and for whom?
I was interested to know if anyone has been successful at doing both. David Grossman introduced me to the term
“Differentiated Instruction” coined by Carol Ann Tomlinson and led me to her
resources and an internet site. I
followed these and got my eyes opened about practical ways to adjust the
classroom to meet the needs of a wide diversity of students. This is a topic I’d like to have time to sit
on for a while longer, so I plan to buy Tomlinson’s book at the next
opportunity. I’m interested in these
resources for my own benefit as well as for use in staff development.
Re: ESL Phonics – I
was astounded to read Michelle Yip (Sept 15)
say: “I have never had any
formal phonics lessons and I struggled in school for the longest time. I am from Hong Kong and I was eleven when I
started school in the US. if no one had
taught me a word, I can’t read it. …Just imagine a child trying to read a
textbook that she can’t read any word she had never encountered before. It was a nightmare.” I didn’t see that thread of discussion until
at least a week after the posting and I was still learning my way around. I really wanted to ask her if she had
started learning in Chinese before coming to the U.S. I must assume so – and as Chinese is not phonetically written it
is likely that she expected for English to be the same…I must follow up with
her. AND I will remember this
experience when I’m working with school-aged ethnic Chinese who have already
begun intensive memorization of characters.
Re: 4 Blocks – The RTEACHER was the first time
I’d heard of this approach to organizing language arts. Subsequently, of course, we’ve had an
article by Patricia Cunningham in “Best Practices”. However, I wanted to learn more about this method since it is so
streamlined and easy to communicate while also including all of the essential
elements of best practice. So I spent
some time on the internet researching a bit and found Cheryl Sigmon’s excellent
site. I was so impressed with her
generous spirit and willingness to share her experience and expertise with the
public. This site is singular in both
its practical help and lack of copyright restrictions! She obviously wants to train and teach. So this makes it an excellent professional
development site. I know I’ll be back
there some more, because I want to get a good handle on this methodology and
its application. It has tremendous
potential for the kinds of multi-level and multi-cultural learning environments
that I consult for…. I may even attend a workshop.
Re: Fluency and Assessment – I was pleased to
glean both an excellent article that explains the role of fluency in reading
development and some excellent rubrics for assessing fluency. When I work with parents teaching their own
children and with teachers who may not have been trained in the newer ways of
doing things, it is always helpful to have tools such as this to give them
further training and to provide the kind of structure that they feel they need
to know they are doing what they need to do.
I like having resources that offer a short, clear explanation of the
theory, research as well as offering practical direct application.
Re: Blogs and
Blogging – This topic had a lot of activity and stimulated my
thinking/creativity significantly. I
can’t wait to find some time to investigate the links that were suggested
because I want to learn how to set up my own blogs for both students and
parents. I was concerned about
security, but that concern was answered satisfactorily by others with more
experience who responded to my caution.
I’m excited about trying blogs as a means for literature discussion and
staff development as well as progressive story blogs for creative writing. Blogging is an ideal medium for addressing
the needs of those with whom I consult as they are often spread far apart from
one another, it would be a great way for creating a mini-literacy community.
I know of a family
that is living in an extremely isolated location where they are the only
English speakers. The son attends a
local national language school and the mother supplements with English reading
and writing at home. Motivation is an
issue for this young boy – likely in part, because English literacy is an add-on
in his world. As he is a very concrete
thinker and likes “real things” rather than fiction, I think getting him
connected into the cyber world could give him some sense of purpose for English
literacy.
Re: Study Groups and Professional Development –
through this discussion thread I learned a new way to think about staff
development. Others talked about their
experience of using the Book Club format in their school centered around a
chosen professional development book.
As was pointed out, this is a great alternative to the workshop
environment (which may be too time intensive) and a huge improvement over
lecture style presentations. I like how
a book discussion would build on each teacher’s prior knowledge and would honor
each participant as a holder of knowledge to be respected. Collaborative discussion could center around
how the material does or does not apply to “our” situation…as well as what me
might do differently as a result of reading this section ……..chapter
………book. I got some great books to try
and find from reading this discussion thread, and hope to try this method out …
maybe we’ll do a blog! Technology can
also be enlisted by organizing a group discussion within a predetermined set of
people using discussion outlines and resources offered at Rteacher. Teachers
who have experience with the discussion group method of staff development have
seen amazingly rapid responses through out their whole school. One of the keys is choosing good books, of
course, and plenty of suggestions were offered. Another key is good questions and discussion, guides for this
were also offered.
All in all, this
Lstserve turned out to be a worthwhile endeavor for me. I learned a lot about using technology. One of the problems I ran into is not fully
downloading text so that I can easily reference it in the future. Consequently, there are a lot of holes in my
documentation. But I am learning about
how to manage all of this information more efficiently. I am also storing away ideas about how to
help novices (including future students) to more effectively access, navigate,
and apply information available on the cyber-highway. I also learned a lot about teaching reading, and I look forward
to checking out this archive site on a regular basis in the future. It is a good place to find out what is “hot”
and what is not. It’s a good place to
glean from the experience of others.
It’s a good place to collect up to date resources. It’s a good place to get quick reviews on
curriculum. The only real problem I had
was in knowing when to STOP reading more good ideas. I spent much more time on this than I needed to … but then, this
course is supposed to be built around self-directed learning J
For a list of
Resources I discovered via this ListServe that I want to remember and/or find
see attachment: Resource List.doc
Documentation of
Discussion I engaged in:
Sent: Tuesday,
September 14, 2004 10:54 PM
Subject: Re:
Accelerated Reader
Gail said:
Over the last few
years I've read lots of discussions about AR, but what is the actual research
on it? Does it improve test scores or truly encourage reading? The discussions are always from our personal
experiences, but I want to know what an independent researcher might say.
Any information?
On Wed, 15 Sep 2004
18:59:17
Christy Jenkins
wrote:
the national reading
panel did not find that students using ar made
significant gains in reading.
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 03:49:56
From: Pam Gentry
Subject: Re: Accelerated Reader
Interesting. What, then, is the deal with the article in
the Reading Online archives by Topping (1999)"Formative Assessment of
Reading Comprehension by Computer: Advantages and Disadvantages of The
Accelerated Reader Software? It seems
to be a very well researched and balanced article. His conclusion is that, implemented properly, AR CAN be
influential in improving student reading.
Though, much of the research that he cites has more to do with the
general benefits of increased reading practice in general, I think he does give
some evidence for AR being specifically effective. I guess I'll have to go look at what the reading panel said. Why do you think there is a discrepency in
these two seemingly equal) sources?
Response from Joan is
currently unavailable as the RTEACHER archives are offline.
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 03:00:03
From: Pam Gentry
Subject: Re: Accelerated Reader
Thank you
Joan- this gives me some things to chew on.
So when it comes down to it, you can't just quote research, but have to
also have an evaluation of the quality of the research....this is what makes
our profession so frustrating politcally, I think. Few people take that much time to consider the factors.
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 01:37:52 -0700
From: Ellen Petra
<[email protected]>
Subject: Multiple Levels in One Classroom
How do you deal with
a class consisting of students with varied reading and writing levels? Is there a manageable, fair, yet interesting
way to meet the needs of all the students in the class?
Date: Thu, 30
Sep 2004 00:07:15 -0400
From: Pam Gentry
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom
The best
way, really is thematic units based on a variety of real books at mutliple levels
combined with real writing responses.
You can keep the class together by chosing a chapter book Read Aloud to
build your theme around. Various levels
of exploration can be done cross-curricularly, the same basic writing
assignment can be given to multiple levels --- only the level of response will
be different.
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 06:42:22 -0500
From: Susan Stepp
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom
I agree with Pam on
using thematic units. My situation is a little different, but similar. I teach
with another lady and together we have grades 1-5 gifted. Our kids are not all
in the room at the same time,but we use the same unit for all grades. We use
the same materials and do the same projects. We find the students will
gravitate toward the materials that fit their academic level--no matter what
their grade level. Our grading is based on If they have gone through the
process and completed the projects/products according to their level/ability.
Ellen comes back;
Thanks, Pam
How do I keep the
grading fair, though? If the students
are suppose to meet certain standards, how do I make sure that the grading
reflects that, but still keep in mind that some students are not at the level
they should be at?
Date:
Fri, 1 Oct 2004 22:47:10 -0400
From: Pam Gentry
Subject:
Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom
Are all of your students in the same grade? Or do you have several grades
in the same classroom? If you have more than one grade in the classroom,
they would not all be expected to meet the same standards. Each child
would function at their own level and be measured against the standards that
apply to their level....If all of your students are in the same grade, then, I
guess it becomes a bit trickier...you have to do your assessments at two
levels: a-according to each child's learning goals (keeping porfolios should
help with this) and b-in reference to the grade
level standards. When evaluating specific assignments, you can make your
rubrics reflect the level of work at which the child is functioning so that
they can know what they are working on. Then periodically you can reflect
their overall progress against the expectations for grade level.
If any of your low performing students have IEP's this should help a lot,
because the ndividualized performance standards should be noted.
It would be nice, if report cards were allowed to reflect this sort of
reporting. It would help both the teachers who are actually trying to
teach, and the authorities who want to see some accountability.
David Grossman
comments, introducing the term “differentiated instruction” – documentation
momentarily lost
Date:
Mon, 4 Oct 2004 06:13:36 -0400
From: Pam Gentry <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom--differentiated instruction
I appreciate your comments David-
It seems like whether or not we are using the term (differentiated instruction)
most of us are doing it in practice. It is the only way to actually meet
the needs of the students. But, the crux of the issue is how to
grade? you've put it so well. We have competing values for the
purpose of grading: a. to measure the student against himself in regard to
achieving personal learning goals b. to measure the student against a standard
of attainment expected for each grade level... What to do?
In a single classroom you can both developmentally delayed children and gifted
students and everything in between. If we are comparing them against one
another or even the curriculum, we could probably just give them grades for the
year the moment they walk in the door....but that
doesn't inform instruction!
I'm sure this dilema may be part of the driving force toward using portfolios
for assessment. But the problem with them is that they do no offer easily
accessible statistics....Is there a good answer?
Date:
Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:03:52 -0400
From: Joan Slavens <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom--differentiated instruction I
have heard of the term 'differentiated instruction' and have some concept of
what it is. But how does one actually apply it? How do
administrators, students, and parents understand or not understand it?
Does anyone have a good resource for finding additional information about this
for a new teacher? Sorry for all the questions - wish I had more answers!
Date:
Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:34:28 -0500
From: Susan Stepp <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One Classroom--differentiated instruction
I highly recommend Susan Weinbrenner's book "Teaching gifted students in
the regular classroom." It's on differentiating in the regular classroom.
Although it's aimed at the gifted, the principles apply to all students. She
includes a lot of sample materials.
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 21:47:02 -0400
From: David Grossman
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Multiple Levels in One
Classroom--differentiated instruction
The guru of
Differentiated Instruction is Carol Ann Tomlinson. She has autored several books on DI which are published by
ASCD. I have read her book _How to
Differentiate Instruction in the Mixed Ability Classroom_ and it gives a good
overview of differentiation. She has a
new book out that gives samples of differentiated curriculum also. This link should take you to a listing of
her books from ASCD http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=650#T
Another thought is layered curriculum. I have not used it, but I think if it's done right, it can provide differentitation. http://www.help4teachers.com/ here is a site for it.
My principal put
together this little pdf file that is an overview of differentiated
instruction.
http://66.38.63.171/conference/pdf/T1.pdf
We have a DI study
group at school that is getting ready to study one of Carol Tomlinson's new
books. I'll let you know how it goes
and whether or not I get any wonderful ideas from it.
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 06:46:51 -0400
From: Pam Gentry
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Encouraging inferential
thinking/middle school students
I've struggled with
this with middle schoolers, too. I think a lot of this has to do with
developmental stages. Thinking
inferentially requires making a lot of connections and some ability to manage
abstractions. Many 6th graders are
still very concrete in their thinking.
As the kids get a bit older, they seem to do better. Also, I think there has likely been
some modeling by the
time kids get to 6th grade which leads the kids to think there is always one
right answer, and that answer should be obvious. By 6th grade many kids have lost their willingness to take risks
in the classroom. These are just some of the conclusions I've come to, and
would love to hear what others think.
As for what to
do? Here's an idea to try. I've noticed that when middle schoolers are
engaged in something that relates to their everyday lives and is meaningful to
them, their willingness to conjecture, evaluate, and propose solutions is
greater. So what you might want to do
is start with a daily discussion time of say, 5-10 minutes on some topic dear
to their heart ... pose a problem...give a few facts ... and then have the kids
discuss what they can conclude and can't conclude. Do this as a brainstorming session, keeping notes of all comments
on the board so the
kids can see that you
value all input. Another step would be to ask them "why" they think
their conclusion is a good one or a bad one.
A likely possiblity or an unlikely one.
The "why" part will get them to think critically about
justifying their answer. All the while
you can be
pounding on the
phrase "what inferences can you make?" Maybe you could present it as the "Daily Mystery"....At
some point you can decide to model this same thinking approach to reading. Maybe even make it a group project, each
group reads a passage and discusses the inferences they can
make. They can decide on their best inference and
give the reasons.
Follow-up COULD be a
very dynamic class debate :-)
The point is to get
them away from expecting there is a "right" answer to everything and
that there are reasons for every answer
Response not currently available – RTEACHER offline
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 21:20:16 -0400
From: susanok
Subject: Blogs
Recently,researchers have increasingly resorted to keeping their
journals on the Web in Weblogs, usually referred to as blogs. Blogs are
relatively recent communication tools that allow instant publishing on the Web.
They also allow for others ( other researchers, the public) to stop and comment
on your Weblog. Sometimes even the author you are writing about may venture
onto your blog and
share his/her thoughts. Blogs are used to share thoughts and information, to
build networks of communication, to keep track of your research, to sharpen
writing skills. Do a Google search and you will be able to choose a blog in
your area of interest. There are sites where you can make our own blog in
minutes.
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 02:35:10 -0400
From: Pam Gentry
Subject: Re: Blogs
what a
great idea. thank you for the
info. I haven't done a lot of actual
reading of blogs. But have been reading
ABOUT them for a while. Now I'm even more intrigued. I wonder about the issue of confidentiality and protection of
privacy ... obviously, I would not publish anything that
I didn't
want others to read, even on the web.
But how about with kids? Should we encourage our students to blog?
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 22:13:59 -0400
From: susanok
Subject: Re: Blogs
Pam,
You've asked a good
question. Should we encourage students to use blogs as a communication tool? I
think their use would help students write more....but there is always the
question of whom is responding to their writing and why....However, most
students from grade 6 and up here chat on MSN ...however it is more secure in that you have to give someone
permission to enter onto your chat space. Blogs..something to ponder.
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:47:45 -0500
From: chanmi lim
Subject: Re: Blogs
In response to
security...You can set up blogs that are maintained by a web manager (you the
teacher) that filters who is and is not allowed to respond.
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 05:02:46 -0400
From: Pam Gentry
Subject: Re: Blogs
ahhh. So you just set up the blog at a secure site
where you have access only if you are identified as an acceptable user?
This has a
lot of potential. For example, I can
see setting up a blog for doing an "continued story" where kids logon
to add chapters or scenes of a story.
This could get quite hilarious and very creative. All of the excerpts could be collected and
published as a class book...fun.
pg
Numerous postings
about Progressive stories and sites for participating in literacy circles in
blog format ensue
From: Kelly
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 6:20 AM
Subject: recycle/ conservation unit: Any Ideas??? =3D)
I am working on a recycling/ conservation unit for my 4th
grade students. Does anyone have cool ideas for an introductory lesson
plan to the unit. Within the unit we will cover what it means to recycle
and have a discussion on resources (renewable and non-renewable). Any
ideas
to introduce and grab their interest, in a mini-lesson.
Date:
Thu, 14 Oct 2004 02:43:23 -0400
From: Pam Gentry <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: recycle/ conservation unit: Any Ideas??? =)
Forgive me if this is the second time I've responded to this. I don't see
my original post...
Check out the materials and lessons available through the Gould League of
Australia www.gould.edu.au
The Gould League is a non-profit for promoting environmental education. They
have some truly great stuff. Much is oriented to Australia (so make good
fodder for an Australia unit!) But much is generic, too.
Fair dinkum. (that's Aussie for "good stuff")
pg
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 18:31:12 -0400
From: Leigh Platt Rogers
<[email protected]>
Subject: My book:
Sticky Situations
Hello!
In my presentations
about the book, I try to capture the listener's attention and imagination with
fascinating, dramatic, funny and educational stories of different cultures,
people and some pretty amazing, life-changing events. I also talk about the art
of story-telling and writing techniques. The teachers I have worked with have
told me how motivated their students are to write their own stories after
they've heard my presentation. I've received much appreciation from both
parents
and teachers since the students come away with a very positive outlook on writing and some even tell me they want to become an author!
Sticky Situations was
written for children aged 7 and older but the more readers I hear from, it
appears that the content is appropriate and entertaining enough for all ages -
including adults. I have spoken to different schools - both public and private
(2nd grade to 5th grades so
far), as well as
professional associations, and I have received much praise and support for both
my book and the "delightful manner" in which the contents were
presented. I truly love doing the presentations – the students are always so
curious & have lots of questions for me at the end!
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 23:52:38 -0400
From: Pam Gentry <[email protected]>
Subject:
Re: My book: Sticky Situations
Well
Leigh! Thanks for the book review. I consult with families and children
overseas and am always on the lookout for more reading directed at kids about
cross-cultural living experiences.
Thanks for the tip :-) Where can I find the book?
Response:
Sticky Situations:
Stories of Childhood Adventures Abroad is a must read for children and adults
alike (7 years and older). This 184-page book of 50 short stories is
accompanied by actual photos of the places and friends Leigh has enjoyed. It is
available for $11.95 by contacting Infinity Publishing at 877-BUYBOOK or online
with all major on-line booksellers including www.amazon.com,
www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.buybooksontheweb.com. (ISBN: 0-7414-1754-5)