As we discussed in class, the role of phonics in literacy programs is controversial. Many lawmakers, teachers, and parents believe that phonics is the key to solving reading issues, and some feel that phonics is the only component necessary for children to learn to read. Tompkins argues that these views “ignore what we know about the interrelatedness of the four cueing systems” (p. 167). She believes that “reading is a complex process, and the phonological system works in conjunction with the semantic, syntactic, and the pragmatic systems, not in isolation” (p. 167). The issues surround the correct way to implement phonics instruction. Tompkins states, “phonics (should) be taught within a balanced approach that integrates instruction in reading strategies and skills with meaningful opportunities for reading and writing” (p. 167). She believes phonics instruction needs to be both intensive and systematic and should be completed by third grade.
When I was learning to read, my entire program focused on phonics and rarely covered literature and writing. I recall filling out phonics workbooks everyday, and rarely put any original thought into the work I did during reading class. I was generally uninterested in improving my reading skills, and I do not remember enjoying reading until I was encouraged to choose what I read and wrote. Researchers Sulzby and Teale state, “Without fundamental understandings of the functions and uses of literacy (e.g. storybook reading, language play, written language use in everyday practices), children may not profit from phonological awareness instruction”(p. 30). The authors state that while, a substantial amount of phonics instruction is necessary in order for children to learn to read, a balanced program should allow a child to choose what he or she reads and writes. Thus creating a sense of autonomy and intrinsic motivation for students.
I feel my teachers had no choice in whether or not their students needed additional phonics instructions. I believe they were instructed to follow a state curriculum, and were not encouraged to deviate from what they were given. According to an article written by the International Reading Association, “Programs that constrain teachers from using their professional judgment in making instructional decisions about what is best in phonics instruction for students simply get in the way of good teaching practices” (p. 3). I believe fell prepared teachers should be given more of a say over what is taught in their classes, and they should be the ones that decide who do and does not need additional phonics training and how much. When teachers feel their students have mastered phonics, then classes can move on to more engaging activities that fuel students’ reading interests.
Resources:
The International Reading Association. (2009). The role of phonics in reading programs. Pgs 1-7.
http://www.reading.org/Libraries/Position_Statements_and_Resolutions/ps1018_phonics.sflb.ashx
Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach. Pg 167.
W.H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Eds.), Emergent literacy: Writing and reading (pp. 15-49).
http://www.earlyliterature.ecsd.net/balanced%20literacy.htm
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Importance of Student Portfolios
As I read chapter 3 “Assessing Students’ Literacy Development”, I was particularly interested in the section devoted to “Portfolio Assessment” (2010, p. 91). Tompkins defines student portfolios as “systematic and meaningful collections of artifacts documenting students’ literacy development over a period of time” (2010, p. 91). The portfolios show students’ daily activities, progress, and opportunities to improve instruction. Students decide what goes into their portfolios, and therefore establish criteria for their work. “Students learn to reflect on and assess their own reading and writing activities and their development as readers and writers” (2010, p. 93). Therefore, portfolios may motivate students to create “portfolio worthy” work.
Tompkins discusses three types of portfolios (working, displace, and assessment) and the manners in which they contribute to students’ writing and reading abilities. The working portfolio is an organizational tool used to compile all of a student’s recent work (drafts, revisions, and final drafts), and shows a student’s recent progression. Teachers can increase their class’ motivation by instructing their students to create display portfolios on poster board to showcase each student’s best work. Teachers can use assessment portfolios to present work that shows students have met learning goals and state requirements. All three types of portfolios “help students, teachers, and parents see patterns of growth from one literacy milestone to another in ways that are not possible with other types of assessment” (2010, p. 91).
Our text claims portfolios can be used for students in grades K-12 and above. However, I can foresee some of my future first grader’s parents wanting their students to bring their work home on a daily or weekly basis. Parents may not want to wait until students complete their portfolios to see their student’s progress. One solution is to create electronic portfolios that can be emailed to parents as often as they wish. In an article entitled “Electronic Portfolios in the K-12 Classroom”, Mary Daniels Brown claims "A paper portfolio is static” and is usually the only copy of the student’s work. Brown states, “When the portfolio is in digital format, students can easily duplicate and transport it” (2002). She recommends using hyperlinks to connect parts of the portfolio so students, parents, and teachers can easily “flip” from one area of the portfolio to the next. Teachers of younger students can scan pictures and writing samples and add recordings of each student while he or she reads assigned works. Teachers and students can also include captions at the bottom of works to better describe the assignment to the portfolio’s audience. However, one of the biggest advantages of an electronic portfolio is the ability to add links to website to offer addition resources on a particular topic, or attach a paragraph from the state curriculum that explains why the student is engaging in a certain activity and the grading criteria.
Resources
Daniels Brown, Mary (2002). Electronic Portfolios in the K-12 Classroom. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml
Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach
Additional Resources
Cohen, Lynn (2006). The Power of Portfolios.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article
http://www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/portresources.html
Tompkins discusses three types of portfolios (working, displace, and assessment) and the manners in which they contribute to students’ writing and reading abilities. The working portfolio is an organizational tool used to compile all of a student’s recent work (drafts, revisions, and final drafts), and shows a student’s recent progression. Teachers can increase their class’ motivation by instructing their students to create display portfolios on poster board to showcase each student’s best work. Teachers can use assessment portfolios to present work that shows students have met learning goals and state requirements. All three types of portfolios “help students, teachers, and parents see patterns of growth from one literacy milestone to another in ways that are not possible with other types of assessment” (2010, p. 91).
Our text claims portfolios can be used for students in grades K-12 and above. However, I can foresee some of my future first grader’s parents wanting their students to bring their work home on a daily or weekly basis. Parents may not want to wait until students complete their portfolios to see their student’s progress. One solution is to create electronic portfolios that can be emailed to parents as often as they wish. In an article entitled “Electronic Portfolios in the K-12 Classroom”, Mary Daniels Brown claims "A paper portfolio is static” and is usually the only copy of the student’s work. Brown states, “When the portfolio is in digital format, students can easily duplicate and transport it” (2002). She recommends using hyperlinks to connect parts of the portfolio so students, parents, and teachers can easily “flip” from one area of the portfolio to the next. Teachers of younger students can scan pictures and writing samples and add recordings of each student while he or she reads assigned works. Teachers and students can also include captions at the bottom of works to better describe the assignment to the portfolio’s audience. However, one of the biggest advantages of an electronic portfolio is the ability to add links to website to offer addition resources on a particular topic, or attach a paragraph from the state curriculum that explains why the student is engaging in a certain activity and the grading criteria.
Resources
Daniels Brown, Mary (2002). Electronic Portfolios in the K-12 Classroom. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml
Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach
Additional Resources
Cohen, Lynn (2006). The Power of Portfolios.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article
http://www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/portresources.html
Friday, September 10, 2010
Parent Teacher Partnerships
In my future classroom, one of my main goals is to become a liaison between my students and their parents, and explain my students’ successes and areas of concern. I know it is the teacher’s role to establish communication with parents and to bring engaging reading activities to the home. I wish to involve parents in my plan to help my students become fluent readers. I believe that books need to be read to kids, with kids, and by kids in order for them to become fluent. Therefore, I want to encourage parents to participate in reading activities with their children at home. I also want learn more about my students’ behavior at home and various personal challenges they are facing in order to accurately plan lesson and assessments. In order to accomplish these objectives; I recognize the need to obtain partnerships with my students’ parents and establish a team mentality. A major issue is that some parents may be more enthusiastic to help their children than others. How does a teacher efficiently establish relationships with parents and relay the importance of home-literacy activities?
In the first chapter of Literacy for the 21st Century (Tompkins, 2010), the author states, “Research has concluded again and again that home-literacy activities profoundly influence children’s academic success” (2010, p. 29). Children of involved parents often attend school regularly, engage in higher-level activities, and score higher on standardized tests. However, many parents believe teaching is best left to the teacher, and others feel inadequate when it comes to helping their children read and write. Tompkins claims the first step towards building a partnership with parents is to accept “that parents view their role in different ways and (one must) become more knowledgeable about cultural diversity and how it affects parent-teacher relationships” (2010, 30). Tompkins encourages teachers to: be aware of and respect the literacy activities of each family, to connect with families in many ways (demonstrates to parents that their voice will be heard), and build caregivers’ knowledge of the reading and writing processes (especially in culturally diverse classroom).
In the article “The Importance Of Teacher/Parent Partnerships: Preparing Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers”, Professor Sandra Loughran stresses the importance of respecting and acknowledging “the parents’ role as prime educators and role models” (2008, p. 36). Teachers should attempt to build a parent’s sense of self-efficacy (regardless of the caregivers’ economic status or cultural background), and clearly explain that their child and the class as a whole will greatly benefit from the home-literacy activities. Once strong communication ties are formed with parents, teachers can then start to suggest home-literacy activities that will enrich the student and move them toward fluency. Tompkins offers unique suggestions including: family journaling (each member writes about their day and shares with the whole family), family book clubs, readers’ theatre, and traveling book bags. No matter how creative the teacher’s activities are, he or she will not receive the desired outcome unless communication is clear. In order to alleviate confusion, Loughran stresses the importance of relaying “clear and succinct directions” to achieve optimum results. (2008, p. 35).
Resources
Building Parent Teacher Relationships. American Federation of Teachers (2007). http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/
Loughran, Sandra (2008). The Importance Of Teacher/Parent Partnerships: Preparing Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers, Journal of College Teaching and Learning. www.cluteinstitute-onlinejournals.com/PDFs/1103.pdf
Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach.
Additional Sources
http://www.parenting-child-development.com/parent-teacher.html
http://www.videojug.com/interview/parent-teacher-partnerships
In the first chapter of Literacy for the 21st Century (Tompkins, 2010), the author states, “Research has concluded again and again that home-literacy activities profoundly influence children’s academic success” (2010, p. 29). Children of involved parents often attend school regularly, engage in higher-level activities, and score higher on standardized tests. However, many parents believe teaching is best left to the teacher, and others feel inadequate when it comes to helping their children read and write. Tompkins claims the first step towards building a partnership with parents is to accept “that parents view their role in different ways and (one must) become more knowledgeable about cultural diversity and how it affects parent-teacher relationships” (2010, 30). Tompkins encourages teachers to: be aware of and respect the literacy activities of each family, to connect with families in many ways (demonstrates to parents that their voice will be heard), and build caregivers’ knowledge of the reading and writing processes (especially in culturally diverse classroom).
In the article “The Importance Of Teacher/Parent Partnerships: Preparing Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers”, Professor Sandra Loughran stresses the importance of respecting and acknowledging “the parents’ role as prime educators and role models” (2008, p. 36). Teachers should attempt to build a parent’s sense of self-efficacy (regardless of the caregivers’ economic status or cultural background), and clearly explain that their child and the class as a whole will greatly benefit from the home-literacy activities. Once strong communication ties are formed with parents, teachers can then start to suggest home-literacy activities that will enrich the student and move them toward fluency. Tompkins offers unique suggestions including: family journaling (each member writes about their day and shares with the whole family), family book clubs, readers’ theatre, and traveling book bags. No matter how creative the teacher’s activities are, he or she will not receive the desired outcome unless communication is clear. In order to alleviate confusion, Loughran stresses the importance of relaying “clear and succinct directions” to achieve optimum results. (2008, p. 35).
Resources
Building Parent Teacher Relationships. American Federation of Teachers (2007). http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/
Loughran, Sandra (2008). The Importance Of Teacher/Parent Partnerships: Preparing Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers, Journal of College Teaching and Learning. www.cluteinstitute-onlinejournals.com/PDFs/1103.pdf
Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach.
Additional Sources
http://www.parenting-child-development.com/parent-teacher.html
http://www.videojug.com/interview/parent-teacher-partnerships
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