Reflection number two- Lesson Critique

The lesson “Ask the Author” by Lori Oczkus is a very interactive lesson that challenges students on a variety of levels.  Oczkus has her students read a text,  generate questions for the author, and then conduct a fake interview with the author. The lesson’s overall goal is to have students interact with the text in an authentic way. By requiring a higher level task such as generating questions for the author, students must interact with the text in a way that forces them to go deeper than just understanding. This is a lesson that does not allow for passive participation. Every student must read and generate questions and speak. These are powerful skills that match many common core standards including participating in collaborative conversations with peers (CC.1.5.2.A).  What I find most powerful about this lesson is how Oczkus scaffolds the lesson so that students eventually end working independently. This follows right along with the “I do, we do, you do” model of teaching that I try to practice everyday.  She starts by modeling her own thought processes while reading (Prompt: “I am wondering why the author selected this title”) and then moves them to a collaborative process of thinking with their peers (Prompts 2 and 3: “Why did you decide…” and “How did you decide…”).  She is scaffolding the lesson in a way that the students will eventually pay attention to their own questions as the read and seek the answers to the prompts on their own.  I think these prompts and especially the modeling are an extremely effective way of scaffolding the lesson so that students can grow and complete the lesson independently.  This lesson is a fantastic lesson because it allows the students to think deeply about what they are reading and challenge themselves. Each group of students will provide different questions based on their background and background knowledge. This helps provide a teachable moment in really showing students that when you read, everyone has questions and being an effective reader means asking these questions as well as answering them.  As a middle school/high school teacher, this is a skill that I focus on immensely. As texts get more difficult, students need to learn how to ask questions of the text, and how to find the answers within the text.   

Reflection number one- Spaces and Places

In her book Spaces and Places Debbie Diller presents practical solutions for classroom design.  Diller’s philosophy for effective classroom design focuses on maximizing space and assigning a purpose for everything in the classroom.  This is most evident in her advice to place desks around the room last, and by her encouraging teachers to use objects around the room for more than one purpose. For example, a wooden cabinet can be painted (with permission) with magnetic tape or chalkboard tape and repurposed as a work station for students.  Diller proposes that a teacher should map out their room first, and really think about how they want their room to flow, and how they can maximize their space. She encourages this by thinking about every single object in the classroom, down to the size of the teacher’s desk. A large table can work for a small group teaching area and a large desk takes up space that could be used for a classroom library or a computer station. 

I believe Diller’s philosophy matches mine in two ways:  it puts the students first and it maximizes the options available to you in your classroom.  I work in a small district that is currently undergoing a construction project. I am moving rooms this summer and I think this chapter has been very helpful.  I really liked her idea of putting the desks around the room last and focusing on the other areas of the room. I think too often teachers place the desks in a way that is most convenient for them and not in a way that is best for their students.  Furthermore, I really liked her idea of having multiple uses for areas in the room. I teach seventh, eighth, and this year I am adding AP.  Last year, it was hard to keep areas separated and it was something I struggled with. However, upon reading this I realized it was because I really focused on where my desk would go, and where the student’s desks would go first. It was only then that I started to think about reading areas, or my classroom library.  Each day I begin class with SSR and my library is not an inviting space and I do not have open reading areas for students to get comfortable.  I am looking forward to arranging my new room with Diller’s suggestions.  

Introduction

Hello-
My name is Michael Breslin. I am a middle school English teacher in the Southern Fulton School District. I am currently pursuing a masters in Reading through Shippensburg University, in the hopes of being a Reading Specialist. This blog is beginning as a class assignment but I hope to continue to use it as a professional growth tool. I hope to join a community of literacy leaders and help to get kids reading!