In this week's reading, I was encouraged as I read the many different instructional strategies, because I realized that I have used some of them in my Spanish II class just this week! We have used Think-Alouds and Reading Aloud as we read the final chapter in a short Spanish novel. Some of these strategies need to be slightly adapted for students who are learning a language and trying to read really basic texts in that language, but most of it really works.
On the other hand, some of these strategies, in fact most of them, are totally new to me. Before this class, I had never heard of a Double-Entry Journal. I was intriguied by the illustration of the Vocabulary Tree as well, which was another concept that was new to me. I really like that some of these strategies incorporate different learning styles, such as more tactile and visual learning.
"Sketching my way through the text" was also one of these that I thought would be really interesting to try. Dialogue or Partner journals are also an interesting concept, and I wonder if high school students would let them get too goofy or inappropriate.
I thought the suggestions in Ch. 6 for how to use textbooks more effectively were really helpful. I particularly like the point that textbooks should be supplemented heavily. Some textbooks are great, but to be honest, most of the ones I have seen and used are not. There are also SO many neat resources available in the field that are being shared amongst teachers, that it would be a shame to look over them or not dedicate a tiny bit of extra time to sift through them. Also, I identified with Jeff Janes who was mentioned on page 158 as not really using the textbook as his primary teaching material any more. My mentor teacher and I have been doing that, and it has made a bit more work for us to put together materials, but once we create them, we can use them again and I've really enjoyed it.
On the other hand, some of these strategies, in fact most of them, are totally new to me. Before this class, I had never heard of a Double-Entry Journal. I was intriguied by the illustration of the Vocabulary Tree as well, which was another concept that was new to me. I really like that some of these strategies incorporate different learning styles, such as more tactile and visual learning.
"Sketching my way through the text" was also one of these that I thought would be really interesting to try. Dialogue or Partner journals are also an interesting concept, and I wonder if high school students would let them get too goofy or inappropriate.
I thought the suggestions in Ch. 6 for how to use textbooks more effectively were really helpful. I particularly like the point that textbooks should be supplemented heavily. Some textbooks are great, but to be honest, most of the ones I have seen and used are not. There are also SO many neat resources available in the field that are being shared amongst teachers, that it would be a shame to look over them or not dedicate a tiny bit of extra time to sift through them. Also, I identified with Jeff Janes who was mentioned on page 158 as not really using the textbook as his primary teaching material any more. My mentor teacher and I have been doing that, and it has made a bit more work for us to put together materials, but once we create them, we can use them again and I've really enjoyed it.
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you and your mentor teacher are able to experiment with many of these techniques. In a Spanish II class, I can see how using the techniques could benefit your students as well as improve teacing and learning overall. Something I took away from these readings is that we are masters of our content and we need to refrain from assuming our students know more than they do. Sometimes I struggle with this and something I find super easy, I expect my students to grasp quickly. The techniques in the readings can assist my students in understanding the content so they are more readily prepared for the lesson. Although I'm teaching mathematics, I'm also teachng them to read mathematics