Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Ch. 8: The Great Conversations
This chapter dealt with giving the students time to think and gather thoughts for disscussions and reflections. Having them reflect on what they learn was a key point with me since I have begun tutoring my student in word study and allowing her the time to reflect on what she has discovered by doing the word sort. In the beginning, she appeared very lost when I asked her to write reflections for her sort. I had to give her lots of guidance and almost dictated her first set of reflections to her. However, now as I watch her completing the sort, I can see her analyzing the way the words are spelled in preparation for writing the reflections. This increases learning and allows deeper learning to take place. No longer can she just "do it to get done" but she has to think about it while she's doing it. And I have certainly experienced that learning curve myself. When I'm contemplating a new teaching idea, for example, it feels very foggy and I am uncertain about the execution of the idea. But when I articulate and discuss the idea with a colleague, it feels as if my thinking comes into a clear focus from the fuzzies.
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I agree that our students need to have time to reflect on what they are reading so that they can communicate their learning. I know that I am a "processor" and it takes time for me to process new information and apply it. Like you said Deb, you need to talk to someone about an idea for it to come into better focus. Surely some of our students are the same and we need to allow them that time and not jump in and tell them what they should be learning- which can be so hard sometimes!!
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