Cheri Parker Blog #4 Routman Ch. 4: “Teach
with a Sense of Urgency”
This chapter hits home with me as I strive for this sense of
urgency from the first day of school to the last day of school year. I completely agree with Routman and believe that it is our job as a
teacher/assistant to take baby steps to build our students to become
independent learners to allow them to be proud of the very own accomplishments
in our classrooms.
Routman states that
the optimal learning model “… is a
relaxed, collaborative, accepting environment that encourages and supports the
learner in trying out what is being demonstrated, taking risks, monitoring
himself or herself, and setting goals while moving toward independence.” Within the model she explains the four phases
of learning as being integrated: demonstration, share demonstration, guided
practice, & independent practice. It
is important for students to have a time for introduction to texts by us reading
the text aloud to students. In shared
demonstration she describes this as the “Hand holding” which invites participation while scaffolding for
the skills. I do what is called “Jump In”
Reading. When reading a text in a group;
I invite the children to read a section aloud.
The children choose which section they would like to read. When one child stops reading another child
may “jump in”. We continue this until the story is complete. I love doing this as the children read in
their comfort zone with no strings attached.
In guided practice
the students should attempt to correct and monitor their own work. I love that Routman acknowledges the common
placed student who requires reassurance with every move/thought/assignment. Routman states, “To become dependent on being
corrected by someone else is to remain at an inefficient level of learning and
to be cheated of the opportunity for rapid independent self-improvement.” We as teachers and assistants often find it
our nature to ‘fix it’ for the child because it is easier for us to do so rather
than require the child to do it for herself.
In the long run though; the student is being cheated of the opportunity
to have self-improvement and learning.
We need to encourage their successful learning so they can have personal
pride in their accomplishments.
This chapter reminds me of the similarities of coaching
young non swimmers how to swim or encouraging young children to play a game of
checkers with teaching children to become readers, writers, and even
mathematicians. Sports are everything to
most of society in today’s world.
Parents want their children to play a sport. We love it when our team wins. They are games. When we play a game with our children we can
play to beat them or we can play and let them beat us. However, in the end if we do not guide our
children through the strategies and our reason for making the move, or worse we
let them win, are we allowing them to learn how to win the game? We teach
strategies when coaching so as a teacher I need to teach my strategies out loud
when coaching students through reading, writing, and mathematics. They will drown if I don’t show them the
strategies to increase stamina in order to stay afloat independently.
It sounds as if your room is one where students should feel welcome taking risks. That's great for developing an environment of readers. You brought up some good points that I've also dealt with in the classroom. It was often frustrating to deal with a student who asked for approval at every step of the learning process. That was until I realized that when I was younger, I was that student. Growing up I've found that the only way to learn how to do something is to do it yourself. The point that Routman makes in helping learners become independent is vital in helping them take ownership of their learning. The point you made about guiding students to problem solve by themselves is one that will help them do this.
ReplyDeleteIt's also good to hear that you struggle to simply read a text aloud. The fact that you're always showing your kids how you think will help them develop as readers. Showing them those strategies when you're working through text in front of them will definitely help them "stay afloat independently."
Hi Cheri,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you connected coaching a child to swim to teaching them to read using a gradual release of responsibility model where we provide support and modeling and lots of guided practice before the child swims on their own. This correlates right along with Routman's optimal learning model where students as readers are given multiple opportunities and time to try out the strategies shared before they are expected to implement it independently and successfully. Thanks, Dawn