There is so little time and so much to do....how many times have we heard, or even said, this statement ourselves? There should be a sense of urgency in teaching, but not in the sense of just going through the motions day in and day out. Rather, we need to make every moment count by making learning meaningful. Routman really hit the nail on the head in this chapter when talking about the quality of teaching reading over the quantity. Learning is not a one size fits all and our students are not robots either. By taking the time to find out what students needs and make that our focus we can really show personal student growth,
Routman also eludes to the Optimal Learning Model in this chapter. This is a model that moves students from dependence to independence in their learning. In order to do this, the method focuses on demonstration and modeling. What I like about this model personally, is that it is something we are already doing. We show kids how things should be done and talk them through the process in order for them to hopefully be able to do it on their own in the end, gradually letting go along the way. As a teacher, the ultimate goal for my students is to make them independent thinkers.. I feel that is one of the biggest challenges today with students is that they are not thinkers. Many of them have always had someone do everything for them, so when we ask them to be more independent and think...they are lost. This is not a skill that will come naturally to students, therefore it is vital that we continue to model these skills in all aspects of school from the classroom to even the lunchroom and recess. All of these parts working together can make the whole stronger and better prepared for what is to come.
It is always nice to read something that validates what we are already doing! Modeling for our students is something that we definitely do as teachers - especially in Math! :)
ReplyDeleteI recently heard someone talking about parenting on the radio. He said the best thing we can do for our children is to learn to say, "I have confidence that you will figure this out!" Hmmmm . . . this would apply to the classroom, too. You're right. We have to give students the opportunity to THINK. We actually need to TEACH them to THINK. That is why inquiry based learning is so important. It gives students that opportunity and does help students in every area of their lives.
Critical thinking is an important skill for our students as readers--and beyond! Thank you for making that a priority as you teach with urgency!
ReplyDelete