I am behind on my update this week. I have to honestly reflect on my work for this class... it isn't happening. Mostly, this is because I do have my own classroom this year. The Colorado education world is not a pretty place to be, and, due to reforms with budgets, 40 or so teachers were laid off this year. I'm substituting and working at a retail store. Not much fun... and not really conducive to finishing one's Masters in Education.
REGARDLESS!
I have started talking to teachers in the buildings that I sub at and asking these teachers about the technology links they have for implementing reading comprehension into their classrooms. One middle school teacher I interviewed has joined forces with her school's power library and begun a really neat reading buddy project. Two (or so) students read the same novel. So far, this teacher has students reading class novels so that she can monitor the progress. The higher ability student spends some time blogging about what she or he enjoyed about the book. They then research the themes of the novel and create blog posts about these topics. The lower ability reading student also blogs about his or her reading experience, using specifics from the novel, and then goes and does research about more concrete details from the novel. The buddy project I was shown as an example dealt with a kid who was selling cocaine, and eventually leads to his brother's death due to the drug. The higher level reader did his research on sibling trust (as a theme) and the lower level reader did his research on cocaine and preteens. Their blogs were linked together and people could look between the two to get a better understanding of the novel. The teacher and the librarian are in the process of creating new ways to start the conversation about the book.
Now, I am concerned that this project has some holes. For one, the lower reader is not actually stretching himself to become a better reader. And while I see the ability pairings as potientally good, they do not allow the lower reader to learn "good reading skills." If I decided to implement this project into my classroom, I would force the higher ability reading student to do a think-aloud every so often and have the lower ability reader begin to copy the same skills. Also, the kids would need some sort of rubric to explain these blogs and think alouds. It seems like the project has a good framework, but is missing all the structures that will make it a surviving deal.
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Hey Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteThis comment has little to do with your GAME plan, just to do with you and your situation.
First, you take your time and work on your Master's at a pace that is good for you. I am an older than average student, I wished I had done this years ago, but then wonder if it would have been as meaningful to me then. It is now, so it is a good fit. I wish the smae for you and every learner.
Second, working in the world of careers and employability, I can say that this downturn will change. You can blame the economy, the banks, the voters, whatever, but we all will emerge from this slump and facts is facts, there are simply not enough of you young people even ALIVE to fill every job that will be vacated by aging out Boomers like myself. And though our aging out may be delayed by our horrific 401(k) account statuses, it will happen. And YOU will be in a great position to step right up into the type of work you dream of. Lucky you. It will come.
This is all as it should be for you just now....
Inger