Ch. 2 Reading Instruction
By: Graves
This chapter does an excellent job in summarizing the history of literacy instruction and showing where we are at this point in time. When reflecting on my elementary school instruction I feel as though literacy was very scripted and repetitive. I remember getting excited when my teacher rewarded us and allowed us to venture out of our desks and join the carpet or other areas around the classroom. Now, when observing through a teachers eye, I believe students have much more freedoms in the classroom and choices of how they learn. As a student, those little moments where we got the choice of where we wanted to read, I remember being motivated to do so.
This article highlights how motivation is the key in learning success. Without conveying a love for learning new things and gaining power through reading, students will not be enthusiastic in participating. When creating a stimulating environment and a print rich classroom, students will transfer knowledge and better understand how print works in their everyday life. This article gave great examples about effective teachers and the process in which they taught lessons.
The article quotes how researchers have coined the term, “opportunities to learn”. I found this to be a relevant point as the classroom has moved from less of a lecture format to a more of a choice through a variety of centers. Again, I believe when giving students a choice, they are more likely to learn and transfer knowledge. As differentiating instruction is always a hot topic in the teaching profession, creating a variety of centers allows students to pick ones that are most suitable to their learning styles.
Another valid point I would like to explore in this article is when Graves stated, “Practice involves asking students to do something they already know how to do. Instruction involves showing or telling students how to do something that they do no yet know how to do. Simply asking students to do something does not constitute teaching them how to do it.” I believe this is the essence of why effective modeling strategies is so key and consistent with all grade levels followed by room to make mistakes and allowing students to practice new approaches.
Jenna, you bring up many different points that are so important for future teachers to understand. We must not have scripts for our students to perform but instead we need to allow them to write their own stories- so to speak. As long as the main goal gets accomplished it really doesn't matter how the students get there. Freedom is important for a classroom to have because not every student is the same. Differentiated instruction needs to be second nature for a teacher because that way the students will be able to complete tasks in ways that they understand.
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