This week, I spent three days with my county's Literacy Institute: a professional development opportunity for exploring how to improve multiple literacies in students. Among the speakers was Mr. Jim Burke. Anyone familiar with language arts education knows what a big deal this man is. :) It was great to hear him speak, and what I took away from him was the importance of giving students choices on how they show their understanding of a concept or their ability with a skill. And for EVERY assignment, to move students through lower to higher level thinking--even with something as simple as a worksheet. After they fill in the blanks, have them write questions or observations in the margins. Then, have them write a paragraph in response to what they've learned through the worksheet.
Another speaker was Stephanie Harvey, and from her presentation I took away the importance of offering the students time to interact. The best way to comprehend and remember is to discuss what you are learning. DUH! But so much of the time, I fear giving students the chance to interact because I don't want them to swerve off topic. Then I lose 5 more minutes of class time just getting everyone settled again. If it's something they get used to, though, it will become a seamless part of class time. She says that she talks, they read, or they watch for 5-7 minutes, and then everything stops so the students can turn and talk or write a quick response, question, or reflection on what they are learning. This sounds wonderful! I can't wait to implement it in my class.
The final speaker of the conference was Alan Sitomer. This man was a born performer and educator. It was a pleasure to hear him speak, and so empowering to hear him acknowledge the fact that so many of us teachers live in a culture of fear these days. He reminded us that we became teachers because we love our subject area and we wanted to help students. He emphasized that we need to focus on that and continue to have fun with what we do. It seems so simple, but it's exactly what I needed to hear. :) Sitomer also inspired me to use more technology in my classroom, which is probably going to be the subject of quite a few posts. I sat in on a class that day that taught us about taking our students through the writing process using technology. I didn't understand much of it, but I bought a copy of The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks and have already learned so much! I'll have my kids using wikis, blogs, and social bookmarking in no time!
I'm looking forward to the new year again, and it's a great feeling. Stay tuned....
