Lecture Reflection 1/27

A lot of important concepts stood out to me in today's lecture and I got a lot of good ideas on how to promote literacy in the classroom in a fun way. It was interesting to see that a lot of what we talked about in class, I was able to relate to what I observed in my fieldwork.
Today I learned that literacy centers, also known as "stations", allow students to work independently and it is fun for them because they get to move around. I also learned it is important for teachers to make sure that the literacy centers are connected to the whole group instruction, incorporating the same ideas and reinforcing the lesson. I saw that during this time, the teacher should work with students who need more individualized attention. When we talked about this in class, I remember observing this in my fieldwork. The teacher in this third grade classroom sat with small group of about five students at a table in the back, and worked with them as the other students sat with a partner or by themselves reading or listening to stories on tape. I thought this was very special and it was clear that the students who would have otherwise felt lost or left behind, were enjoying the attention and were learning more as a result.
Something else from today's lecture that I would really like to incorporate in my classroom is the "I Can" list. As mentioned in class, having students write down a list of things they can do gives them a sense of ownership and feeling that they can take control in their own learning. I think this "I Can" list is empowering for them and visually points out what they can do rather than what they struggle with. Positivity is always better than negativity, and if they take the time to think about and focus on all the things they can do, it will give them a more positive attitude about learning and they will have more self-confidence in their abilities.

 

My Ideal Future Classroom

I want my future classroom to be a place where students walk in and feel at home.  I want it to be a colorful, cheery environment where students feel comfortable and excited to learn.  I will have the usual alphabet strip above the chalkboard and many motivational posters hanging on the walls, with sayings like "Never Give Up" and "Treat Others with Respect".  Each of the students' desks will have nametags taped to them.  I remember how special I felt when I had that in elementary school, and how exciting it was to find my own desk and show it to my parents.  Most importantly, there will be a rug in the back of the classroom with a wide variety of books in our personal library, as well as comfortable bean bag chairs.  The library will be organized by genre and level, so that my students can easily find books they want to read and ones that are suitable for them.  It will be their responsibility to make sure the library stays neat and organized.  I want the library rug to be seen as a privilege, not as a chore, and a place where my students go not only during designated times when they join me, but also where they can go when they have free time, after completing an assignment early for example.  One of my favorite and most memorable things about elementary school was the reading rug, and I loved how we were able to sit and relax, circling around my teacher and listening to her read the giant picture books.  I hope I can also make this reading time special for my students, where they feel comfortable and engaged in the reading of stories.  To help with my classroom setup, I will seek help from other teachers and the internet, but regardless, I want my classroom to be a positive, supportive, and loving environment.

My Memory of Language Arts: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening in my Youth

Language arts were always a main focus throughout elementary school and middle school, understandably so. Something that vividly stands out to me was going through different “stations” in first grade. We students would be put into small groups and would then travel through the classroom hitting a reading station, listening station, and finally, speaking station. In the reading station, we would read a short book, appropriate for our level, which was often very colorful and had cute pictures in it. Then we would move to the listening station, where we would put on headphones and listen to the book on tape. This helped us to learn the correct pronunciation of words we may not have known. Finally, in the speaking station we would sit down with the teacher, Mrs. Bouchard, and discuss what we read. Not only did we discuss words we did not understand but we also practiced reading comprehension, discussing the characters and plot of the story. Even when we were not doing the stations, reading was a huge part of our day. I remember my classmates and I sitting on the rug in the back of the classroom surrounding the teacher, listening and watching as she read one of those oversized books. That was definitely my favorite.

Speech class for select students was also an important aspect of elementary school. I had to go to speech class, which was twice a week I believe, because I had a lisp. A few others from my class had to go as well. There, we had to pay special attention to our speaking and listening. We would listen to the teacher and then repeat what we heard, often repeating the same thing several times. We were also given worksheets to take home, so the practice could continue beyond the classroom.
Additionally, I remember Hooked on Phonics as being one of my favorite subjects all throughout the early grades of elementary school, where reading skills were practiced. I'll never forget the excitement I felt every time we were told to pull out that thin, blue book from our desks. Something else that stands out in my mind is the numerous book reports and presentations of those reports we were required to do in the early years of middle school. These were helpful for enriching all aspects of our language arts skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The creating of the reports themselves required close reading and understanding of the books' material. We then had to organize our ideas into well-written, concise summaries and descriptions of the stories that would be both informative and interesting. This certainly enriched our skills as writers. Furthermore, the presentation itself helped to improve our speaking and listening skills, as we had to figure out how to convey our messages to the class and had to practice close listening in order to receive the messages from other presenters.

I have very fond memories of language arts in my youth, and without the constant practice and guidance I received throughout elementary and middle school, I know I would not be the reader, writer, speaker, and listener that I am today.