Karmen Wade – Blog Post: 7: March/April Chapter 4: Teach with a Sense of Urgency (Routman)

Karmen Wade – Blog Post: 7: March/April

Chapter 4: Teach with a Sense of Urgency (Routman)

I chose to read chapter 4 because of the last word in the title, urgency. The first thought that entered my mind when I saw the word urgency was fast. According to the chapter, teaching with a sense of urgency is more about teaching in the moment rather than teaching quickly! It’s about teaching with passion, not teaching with the use of a script, workbook, or worksheet. Urgency doesn’t mean that our classroom is a stressful, rigid place full of drill and skill activities. Teaching with a sense of urgency is about making every moment count in the classroom and that makes an impact on student learning.

 When my students are working in class I always place a large emphasis on making sure that they take their time. I remind them not to rush!  I tell my students that it’s ok to take chances and create things. I encourage my students to try something new and even if they make a mistake, they can always try again! Just as I tell my students each day, take your time, don’t rush through your assignments, stop and think about it, try something new,  etc. the same things should apply to me.  I have learned that teaching material more quickly does not help students learn. I believe that it actually sends the child the exact opposite message of what learning is about. Rushing through daily material can send students the message that it’s not about discovery but more about completion. Learning is a life long journey. Teaching with urgency is about reminding our students to explore, make mistakes, and build models, re do things if it doesn’t work the first time. It allows for more inquiry based learning!

According to the chapter, teaching with a sense of urgency is not about hurrying along through standards but more about teaching in the moment! While reading, I began to really stop and think about my daily teaching practices and routines. Whether I am teaching reading, math, science or social studies, I want to provide my students with lessons and then learning opportunities that are the most effective. I found the whole-class reading approaches helpful. This year I have really tried to stop and model and share my own thinking with my students during reading instruction. I've model for the whole class what I'm thinking and asking myself as I read. This year I have started using small group instruction in reading more and more.  This year I have also tried to incorporate more time for partner sharing. One thing that I definitely want to try with my students in the future that I have not done before is a shared reading lesson where each child has a copy of the book and an interactive writing lesson. It seems like it would be a fun way to incorporate smaller group sessions through literacy instruction.  I would also like to create an area in my classroom for an independent writer’s workshop to be used daily. I already have a pretty good classroom library. My favorite area of my classroom is the area I have for read a –loud and shared reading.  It is an area where the students and I can come together for daily discussions about the many wonders the children have and share purposeful talk. I am not teaching standards but students! I believe teaching with urgency is fun for the students and the teacher. It helps the students become stronger in their role as a learner.  After reading Routman’s chapter on teaching with a sense of urgency I have learned more strategies that I want to try with what I am already practicing with my students. Teaching with a sense of urgency is about making every moment count in the classroom!

Brittany Daly – Blog Post 7: Miller (2013), Section 2: Why Not? What Works? Why Independent Reading Matters and the Best Practices to Support It

In this section of No More Independent Reading without Support, Miller presents all of the major points we have discussed throughout the year in our class. While many of the points Miller makes are points I have already heard, it has been beneficial for me to read about them again. The more I read, the more inspired I am to keep working on the way I organize my reading instruction.

Miller begins by providing evidence that validates the importance of independent reading, and she focuses on the practices that are critical for effective independent reading. This year, I have tried to provide my students with more time to read. I used to be so focused on my reading lessons that I barely left time for students to actually practice the skills I was teaching. I believe that my students have spent a significantly larger portion of time reading this year. I have also allowed much more student choice this year than in past years. I think this has instilled in my students a desire to read.

One thing that I still need to improve is the way I monitor and assess student reading. I began the year with great intentions. I created my reading conference binder and revised my conference sheets, but as it usually happens, time got away from me. I found that I was almost always occupied by other things when I should have been conducting meaningful, ongoing conferences with students. I know that, “Conferring during IR time can be a meaningful way to make students accountable, provide individual help and guidance, and assess reading progress” (p. 34). I understand the importance of this constant formative assessment, but I just struggle to find the time to do it well with all students. This is an area I intend to continue to work on as next year begins. I have high hopes for next year’s reading instruction, and I am excited to use the tools provided in our two class texts to help me. 

Olivia McNorrill - Post #6, Routman, Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - You Only Have So Much Time

Time is a precious commodity, especially in the classroom. 180 days always seems like ample time when long range plans are made in August. By the time December/January rolls around, I'm always in awe of how quickly the days have flown by with the final days rapidly approaching. After reading Section 1 of Miller's, "Not This:  Is There Enough Time?  And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading?" I gave my schedule careful analysis to make sure I was making the most of every school day. Routman's final chapter of "Reading Essentials" echos and provides further examples of ways to fill your instructional time with best practices to ensure no time is wasted. I found the chapter to be calming and refreshing. While there is an urgency I feel to make every minute count, I have learned a great deal through Routman, Miller, and authors of various articles read over the course. When best practices are used, stress is greatly reduced for both the teacher and the student.

I must admit that I have exhausted myself many times trying to pack too much into a lesson. Spending hours on preparing lessons before and after school. There are so many resources, materials and activities available. I find it overwhelming trying to decide what is best to do with students. So I end up many times, planning too much. At the end of the lesson, the students and I had a great time but we're both exhausted. Routman’s explanation of why it’s important to spend most of your time thinking really helped me understand how I can better keep myself focused. After she meets with students to determine needs, interest, purposes, and goals she then tailors lesson plans for that particular group of students. She goes on to write that there are four basis questions that she keeps in mind all the time.

·       What do I want them to know and understand?

·       How can I help them know and understand it?

·       How will I know when they know and understand it? How will students know that they understand and let me know that they do?

·       What are my new expectations for students? (then it repeats again)

I feel that these questions are key to maintaining a desired focus while making the most of every moment. Prior to building a lesson, I now make sure I’ve answered these questions first before building the lesson. "With a clear and meaningful focus, we can do more instruction, more effectively, in less time." (p. 218) What have I learned by building in more time to reflect and think? That I’m keeping the work simple, more meaningful, at a livelier pace and combining activities which gets more work into the school day. I’m using the time with students more effectively and we are all happier at the end of the day as a result. Learning has certainly not suffered but rather grown instead. I couldn't be more thrilled!

Stevie Fields-April Blog Post-Routman Chapter 6

Part of me wishes that I had read this chapter at the beginning of the year since I have been working on including more independent reading in my classroom. However, I also think it’s good that I didn’t. After spending time trying to provide my student with more choice and more time to simply read, I believe I have seen the benefit of independent reading. Having personally seen the benefits, the idea of giving up more control and having independent reading take over the majority of my reading instruction is less daunting. The majority of my students have loved reading books that they got to pick out and the growth that I have seen in them as readers, especially my lower readers, has been fantastic. This chapter has me thinking about how I want to structure my reading time for next year and how I really want to commit to this idea of independent reading. It also has me thinking about what parts I need to improve for next year.  One area that I really need to work on is conferencing with students as they read their books.  I have been conferencing but I have not been consistent about it.  The conferencing I have done showed me that it is a valuable use of time. It provides so much insight into my student’s strengths and weaknesses and, ideally, I should be using that information to plan instruction. Another area I need to work on is helping students determine the “just right” book for them. I want to get away from having kids look at numbers and asking if it “on their level” and, instead, teach them how to find an appropriate book just like an adult going into the library would do.  I truly believe that this will help grow lifelong readers and not just kids who can answer comprehension questions.  

Lyuda Bentsiy March/April Blog

Routman Chapter 12
You Only Have So Much Time

When I read “How do we do it all and not work sunrise to sunset every day of the week? Teachers are burning out and retiring as quickly as they can in our district” I thought I need to read this chapter because I was wondering the same thing this year. This is my 4^th year teaching and I feel like it should be easier but it has not been. There has been a lot of new things that we were encouraged to try and I always felt like there was not enough time to do all the things that we were told to do. Just when I thought I was one step ahead, I was two behind because something else was added to my plate.

I have spent the past few months thinking about how to spend my time better so I could have some time left for me and to do the things that I love to do. I have utilized conferencing and observations with my students more this year than any other year. Doing this has helped me plan my instruction and use my time more effectively.

The question on page 205 “How is this activity helping my students become more independent as readers, writers, and thinkers?” has also been guiding my teaching. I try to make lessons relevant and interesting and I noticed that I rarely have to stop and discipline students. When I read the same thing on page 206, I was encouraged and thought “I’m doing something right!”

I noticed that when I implemented these changes to my teaching and thinking, I have found myself being a more effective teacher. I also enjoy my job more and don’t go home exhausted with a migraine. 

Ashley Blackwelder March/April Blog: Routman Ch. 12, You Only Have So Much Time

I loved this chapter, and I wish I had read it about 10 years ago, when I thought being a dedicated teacher meant both arriving at and leaving school in the dark each day.  As a new teacher, I knew that I would have to invest some time in my lesson planning. I wanted to create meaningful experiences for my students, and I was stubborn about doing it all on my own.  Without a selection of "tried and true" resources, I knew that I'd be putting in a few extra hours at the beginning of my career.  As a young and single teacher, I wasn't taking time away from a family at home.  It was a stage of my life when I knew I had the extra time to focus on being a good teacher, so that's what I did.  I did my best, as Routman says, to "live an interesting life," but I also exhausted myself.  I assumed that, at some point, I would "figure out" how other teachers managed to leave at 3:00 each day.
Looking back on those earlier years as a teacher, I don't regret trying to figure things out on my own or investing the time to create some really great lessons and units that have served me--and hopefully my students--well.  However, I do wish that I had understood that teaching is ALWAYS going to require me to grow, improve, and make changes.  I didn't need to take on the impossible task of making everything "perfect" in a year.  It's never going to be perfect--and even if I could make things perfect for one class, I'd get a new group in the next year and I'd have to make changes in order to be effective for them.  At some point, I got the idea that effective, organized teachers could have an entire unit, or even an entire year, completely planned out and ready to go.  I felt like what I was doing was pretty good, but that I must be a little "scattered," because I still had to go back and change things, or make adjustments in my daily and weekly plans.  Now, I understand that this was one thing I was actually getting right.  I was pretty good at tailoring the instruction to the students in my class, but I wasn't using my time as effectively as I could have been.
The same could be said of my time in the classroom.  Of course, I've always thought of myself as very anti-busy work, but I know now that I never completely eliminated it from my day.  What Routman says about starting the day really hit home with me.  I never really liked assigning morning work, but always felt like it was a necessary evil; there was so much practice we had to "get in," I couldn't see a way to do without it.  But the kids hated it, rarely put their best effort into it, and I absolutely hated grading it at the end of each week.  Yes, I was expecting them to practice and review things that were important for them to know, but it wasn't meaningful to any of us.  I could have given them a more "relaxed start to the day," as Routman suggests, and added back a much more meaningful 30 minutes to each day.
I know a lot of these things are easy for me to say, now that I am out of the regular classroom and no longer dealing with the same daily routines.  But after the changes we've made in instruction this year, I think we can see that our kids are doing better with a little more freedom and fewer worksheets.  They're asking more questions, working more independently, and showing more enthusiasm than they have before.  We're all more excited about what we're doing when we're at school.  As for our time outside of school, it's inevitable that we will put in a little extra when we're changing so much.  But that's part of teaching and growing.  It's also important for us to remember that there's no deadline on improvement, and that even when we think we've "got it," there will always be adjustments to be made.  We don't have to do it all RIGHT NOW.  It's possible to prioritize the changes we want to make and work on it in manageable pieces...while giving ourselves that time outside of school to live interesting and enjoyable lives.  We'll never get it ALL "fixed" or "figured out." If we expect to continue being effective teachers, there will always be something more to work on.

Katie Miller March/April Blog

Routman Chapter 12
You Only Have So Much Time

The title of this chapter immediately caught my attention.  I think it would be the perfect title to summarize this school year for me and so many other teachers.  I am so glad I chose this article for the last blog this school year.  With my caseload, number of meetings, and demands are increasing the time left in the school year is quickly decreasing.  I have said many times this year that I feel like to cannot catch up.  I have always been one to stay ahead of everything I have to do.  This chapter was refreshing and motivating to read at this time in the school year. 

With this being the toughest year as a teacher so far, I think I have learned and grown the most.  This chapter summarizes a lot of things I have learned to do this year.  I think I am beginning to master the skill of working smarter not harder.

This is my 4^th year of using the same scripted curriculum.  I am pretty sure I could teach the curriculum in my sleep.  Based on my experience over these few years, I have learned that supplementing this curriculum results in more student progress and independent readers.  I liked the part of this chapter when they talked about not over relying on teacher editions.  That is something that is especially true in my classroom.  My job is to teach students on their individual levels.  That is impossible to do with a scripted program.  There are so many extra things I have to include every day to meet my students’ needs.  My students have a variety of disabilities, background knowledge, and other variable that prevent a ‘cookie cutter’ program from being successful for all students.

I have conducted a lot more reading conferences this year that I have in the past.  As a results, I have learned more about my students’ reading than I thought I would.  I was surprised by how much some of my students were able to talk about their reading and the areas in which they need help.  This year, I have done a lot more partner reading.  This has also been a surprisingly successful addition.  I thought my students would have a really hard time communicating with their peers, but they have done a great job.  I did have to spend a lot of time teaching how to talk about what they are reading and provide conversation prompting cards.  Although that did take a lot of time in the beginning, it saves a lot of my time now.  I can conduct reading conferences and do other necessary tasks while students are actively engaged in a meaningful activity.

This chapter talked about reevaluating schedules.  I have had to do this so many times this year!  I have had so many additions to my caseload that it has made it difficult to have small groups.  Overall, I have changed my schedule 4-5 times this year and the amount of time I have without students has decreased to about 30 minutes.  On the plus side, my groups are smaller and more on a similar level.  I almost have been forced to fully embrace the title of this chapter and the idea to work smarter not harder.  I have had to be very creative in making time to plan and prepare for each day.

This chapter gave a lot of great suggestions to making the most of the small amount of time we have as teachers to do everything we need to do.  My favorite part of this article was when it talked about the importance of an interesting life outside of school.  I think it is so important for myself to keep my personal life and school life separate.  I try to not take work home (key word: try).  I keep myself busy and set goals outside of school.  I have found that this makes me more excited to come to school each day.  I have things to look forward to at school and things to look forwards to outside of school.

I do not think any teacher would say that they have plenty of time to do everything they need to do.  If he/she is out there, I would love to know their strategies.  This will be a great article to come back and read every year when I am stressed with a never ending to do list, if I have time.