Simply put, I think this chapter could be summed up with "read between the lines." As teachers, we have to listen to our students. We have to listen to not only what they're saying, but what they're not vocalizing. Many people struggle with asking for help, often because of a previous attempt for help was denied or weren't really help. Because of this a student may not come to us and say "I can't read this word," or similar phrases. We have to use our knowledge to figure out what the student needs help with and how to get them that help.
I feel like the other important part in this chapter was the section on changing dependent readers into independent readers. We may dream of having perfect readers every year in our classes, but this, obviously, won't be the case. And even our best student may struggle with a certain text because it's not what they are used to. Being able to pass on reading strategies to all students, but most especially the struggling readers, will help out students immensely and will make us good teachers. Although rereading is a valid strategy and works for many students, we should also be able to teach students cognitive skills, how to approach a text positively, and help our students find books that they will enjoy.
I actually had an experience last night with the idea brought up in the first part of this blog. I was helping my sister proofread her paper and she didn't know how to vocalize her frustration. She kept saying, "I don't know what to say," so I asked her what she wanted to write about in that paragraph. After her jotting down some ideas she wanted to include in the paper she was able to get her thoughts in order and write. She was expecting me to tell her what to say or how to write. I feel like teachers sometimes tell students what to do and how to do it and and the student doesn't actually learn anything. I was glad that in that very moment I thought of this chapter and was able to help her learn on her own.
ReplyDeleteGreat point - we have to listen to what students say and don't say!!!! Both are equally important! Tiffany's response and example of her sister saying "I don't know" highlights how important it is to recognize both what they say and don't say.
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