Reflection on the class...

I can't believe that we are at the final class! At the beginning of the semester it seemed like we had so much material to go over and I had no idea how we were going to get it all done! I have learned so much and I've really enjoyed taking the class. Before the course I had kind of assumed language arts was all about reading and writing... I quickly realized that that was NOT the case! There are so many other facets that go into teaching and learning Language Arts. I know I raved (a lot!) in my last blog about how much I enjoyed my observation component of the class, but I really did love getting to know my Ms. Bradley and her students. It was also so beneficial to get a first hand look at the concepts we discussed in class.
Two things I definitely want to take into my future classroom are the writers workshop model and literature circles. From what we learned in class and from what I observed in my placement class I have seen how well these two practices can work. Students seem to love the self-directed learning that comes with literature circles. I also especially like the idea that students can move more at their own pace in writers workshop. Additionally, both of these models are flexible and can be adjusted to better fit the classroom's need.
It's kind of bittersweet that the course is over, but I'm proud of what we've covered this semester. It's really added to my excitement of what's to come in the future! :)

End of the semester?!

I cannot believe we're almost at the end! It literally makes my head hurt to think that exams are right around the corner and I'm on the fast track to starting my senior year. As scary as that is it's also SO exciting! I'm one step closer to standing in front of my very own classroom of students. My observations for this class have been some of the best I've ever had through my education classes at Meredith. Ms. Bradley (a 2nd grade teacher at NRE) was so helpful and was clearly adored by her students. She always made time in her (hectic!) schedule to answer my (endless!) questions and make sure I was getting what I needed. I know they say that everything becomes easier with experience but Ms. Bradley is still so young and yet seemed to have everything together. She was definitely a great role model and I am very appreciative of the time I spent in her classroom.

It was almost scary how well my observations correlated with what we were discussing in class. We would talk about literature circles and then the next week I would be watching as a group of eager 2nd graders navigated the ins-and-outs of lit circles! Or the week we watched the video on writer's workshop... that very week I observed an hour of text-book writer's workshop in the classroom, and the success it can facilitate. I learned a lot of great information from the textbook (how to implement reading workshop, the ups and downs of the writing process, and "what the heck is a word wall?!" to name a few...) but to be honest it's no where near the same to read about something as it is to see it in action! It was so beneficial to observe a real classroom and real students tackling the different techniques I was learning about. Not to put too romantic a point on it but I think I won the observation jackpot.

Additionally, I have decided I love literature circles and writer's workshop. These tools can be so beneficial in the classroom and, when used correctly, they keep students engaged. They also allow for students to move at their own paces and promote success for each student as an individual learner. Seeing such a diverse range of students and abilities in one class just solidified for me the need to tailor learning so that each student is getting the most he or she possibly can from the experience. I know that not every day is going to be sunshine and rainbows but I'm ready for this challenge because I've seen what kind of successes can come from it. Our students deserve good teachers. And I just want to be a good teacher. :)

Peer Conferencing...

Meeting with peers to edit our narratives last week reminded me a lot of grade school- in my language arts classes we did a lot of peer reviewing and revising. I always enjoyed the experience- I was one of those book worm-y kids who liked going to school and actually relished the idea of writing something. Ask me about math and my eyes would glaze over in seconds, but when it came to anything language arts related I could talk your ear off! The problem was that not everyone was quite as enthusiastic about writing and revising as I was- this lead to getting the usual "good job" or "I like this" comments on my paper instead of anything especially helpful. I liked the way the step-by-step worksheet guided our revision in class last Wednesday. It gave specific areas for the reviser to focus on and helped the author see exactly where improvements could be made. I don't remember using any type of format like this in grade school, but I definitely think it could have made revision days more fruitful for both reviser and author! Being able to receive (and give) good, constructive criticism is crucial in becoming a better writer, and I think it's important that we equip students with the skills to do so. Like many things, if no one teaches a student how to read carefully and critically we can't expect for them to know how. It's also important that the process be fun and engaging for students so that revising and editing doesn't become boring or something that students dread doing. I enjoy conferencing after revising a paper so that author and reviser can get on the same page (no pun intended!). I would have liked to have had a a little more time in class to speak with my editor and reviser to hear exactly what their comments and suggestions were. In a K-5 class students love having their ideas heard and listened to, and allowing students to have one-on-one or group conferences with one another after physically editing or revising the paper will give them a sense of ownership and authority in the whole process.