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Fountas and Pinnell Resource Level Books, Not Children: The

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Fountas and Pinnell Resource Level Books, Not Children: The

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Fountas and Pinnell Resource Level Books, Not Children: The

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In this article, published in the January/February 2019 issue of Literacy Today, the member magazine of the International Literacy Association, Fountas

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8 Things I Know for Sure About (Most) Middle School Kids | Cult of Pedagogy

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8 Things I Know for Sure About (Most) Middle School Kids | Cult of Pedagogy

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8 Things I Know for Sure About (Most) Middle School Kids | Cult of Pedagogy

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I never planned to teach middle school. But once I started, I never looked back. And I became kind of an expert on the idiosyncrasies of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, and how to make the most of their special qualities.

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After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook – Education Rickshaw

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After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook – Education Rickshaw

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In looking back at my parents' education in the 1950s and 60s, and my own education in the 1990s and 2000s, I worry sometimes that despite the huge advances that we've seen in technology, not much has changed when it comes to how we view learning and how we design learning environments. The transmission model of education is still the name of the game, although in some circles there are signs of its erosion.

I would like to take you on a journey in this post, starting from the 1950s banking model (Freire, 1968) of instructional design, before comparing it to my own schooling experiences as a digital native at the turn of the century. Then, finally, I would like to share my vision for C21 learning, and propose some ways that we can move forward so that we are meeting the needs of today.

When my parents went to school....

In each of these infographics, students are shown as (S) and teachers as (T). The important focus in each of these images is the direction of the arrow. By looking at where the arrow originates and where it is pointed, we can ask ourselves, Who is doing the thinking? Who is actively using language? Who is leading? What is the relationship between the student and the teacher? And since learning is the ultimate goal, Is learning happening? and Is this how students best learn?

In an industrial-age classroom, with a teacher-centered/teacher directed, one-size-fits-all approach, the arrow always points from the teacher to the student. The directionality of the traditional teaching arrow doesn't differentiate to allow for students to learn from any source but the teacher and the resources prescribed by the teacher. The roles are clearly defined: It is the teacher's job to create memorable lessons, and the student's job to remember them whether or not they are memorable.

The only positive spin I can put on the 20th century compliance model is that learning can potentially happen despite the teacher's illusion of control. My mom, for example, was a Deaf student learning in a 1960's hearing world. She recalls how she would resort to sneaking notes to ask for help from her peers before being caught and punished by her teacher. According to her, and countless other students with similar experiences, it was the help of peers or an adult tutor that saved them from what could potentially have been a lost education. Of course, reconceptualizing the entire learning model to one that allows for personalization and multi-directional dialogue would have done the trick as well.

Now, if you think that things got better for us millennials circa Y2K, I am sad to report that by the time school started for me in 1992, the directionality of the arrow had barely changed at all.

When I went to school....

Let me paint a picture of what it was like when Stephanie and I attended school. In almost all of my classes growing up, teachers put us in groups of 4-6 desks like those depicted above. There were 6-8 iMacs collecting dust around the perimeter of the classroom, and class sets of simple word processing laptops on wheels. We had book bags and class libraries, and we took brain breaks and played learning games, too. There was an increased understanding on the value of pastoral care and differentiation, although they didn't call it that. Despite an overall appearance of progress, the teacher still held the cards. The direction of the arrow didn't change; It still went from teacher to student to nothing.

I don't want to devalue the work that was being done by a handful of forward-thinking teachers in my life. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have entered the profession. But for the majority of my experience, the focus was on making traditional teaching work for the 21st century, not on shifting the paradigm. Yes, my generation's instructional methods included "turn and talk", for example, where we were asked to turn to a partner and mindlessly babble fake discussion, with one eye on the teacher to make sure she wasn't coming around. Then, when "talk" time was up, we would just share what we were already going to say before the exercise began. This is how we did "discussions"; We were allowed to talk to a partner for 15 seconds, and then those selected by the teacher were allowed to share before the teacher took back the reigns once more.

Again, the arrows of my education were not much different than the linear, teacher-controlled, unidirectional arrow that formed the education of my parents' generation, and the generations of organized schooling that existed for 100 years before. In order to truly reject the pedagogy of the 20th century, which may have been adequate for the time, we literally have to make a 180 ° turn and run the other way.

My dream for school....

It's time to change the direction of the arrow by for once and for all turning it around and allowing it to originate from the student.Imagine a classroom where students are the ones driving the learning and are empowered to pursue things that matter to them. In the infographic above we see multiple modalities being employed by these students as students are accessing human and digital resources to drive their own learning. In a 21st century learning model, learning extends beyond the classroom walls, and students are exchanging, discussing, questioning, reflecting and making connections anywhere, anytime. Most importantly, students are inspired and empowered to act, rather than sit back and have the knowledge brought to them.

Ideal classrooms always change, are a mess & have no teacher desk. They encourage interactions & personalization. #africaed #kicslearns pic.twitter.com/mnAPoa6hJw

- Bradley Arnold (@leybradly) September 14, 2017

This learning is so nonlinear, publicly shared, and student-driven that there is no silver bullet for how to achieve this in your classroom overnight. I'm still learning and reflecting on how best we might do this, and I don't pretend to have arrived the proverbial mountaintop of understanding. Regardless, here are some things I've tried in my class to change the direction of the arrow, with a related blog post explaining below:

With the world of knowledge now available at our students' fingertips, and in a time when we're certain that the workforce of the future is going to look completely different from what it does now, it's time to reject the status quo of how we design learning opportunities for our students. Seeing as we are already well into the 21st Century, my hope is that once and for all we put an end to the 20th century mindset of the teacher as the keeper of knowledge and our students as the passive consumers of information.

- Zach Groshell @mrzachg
You're welcome to join our facebook group, Over-posting Educators.

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After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It's Time to Throw Out the Playbook

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In looking back at my parents' education in the 1950s and 60s, and my own education in the 1990s and 2000s, I worry sometimes that despite the huge advances that we've seen in technology, not much has changed when it comes to how we view learning and how we design learning environments.

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What is meant by phonics?

Let's start with the definitions:

Phonics: this is the direct relationship between sound and symbol. This involves the printed word and requires the use of the eyes and the ears to decipher words.

Phonemic Awareness: is hearing the relationship between sounds and symbols and involves the spoken word. It requires the ears only and the process does not involve print. The terms 'phonics' and 'phonemic awareness' are not interchangeable.

What do we believe?

Here at UWCSEA, we believe that both phonics and phonemic awareness are just one element of the the reading journey. Other areas of reading instruction include fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and oral communication. In order to learn to read, our children need many opportunities to see, hear and speak language. There are a number of elements which work together to build the knowledge, skills and understanding needed in order to make sense of the written word. These include:

general knowledge about the world

visual information about the text

information about sounds (phonemic awareness) from oral language

understanding about how writing and reading are related

understanding about language structure

understanding about how texts are structured

understanding that text makes sense

In the Infant School, teachers give students many opportunities to see, hear and apply all these elements of reading, writing and oral language during their play. We teach phonics in authentic (real-life) contexts, meaning it is closely connected to the speaking, listening, reading and writing that children experience in their daily lives. Children's experiences of language are aligned with the UWCSEA Learning Principles (see link below).

Some common questions about phonics and reading

If I teach my child the letter names/sounds, does that mean they will be able to read?

Teaching the letter names and sounds to your child is one essential piece of knowledge that readers need in order to comprehend text. However, it is not the only one. Children need plenty of authentic opportunities to experience these sounds in real-life contexts, so being exposed to as many texts as possible is equally as important as knowing sounds and recognising letters. When taught in isolation, children may not transfer their letter/sound knowledge to reading texts and, therefore, they will not be able to make sense of the written word. This is why it is important to remember that phonics/phonemic awareness is one aspect of learning to read and write.

My child knows the letter names and sounds, so why aren't they reading?

Once letters are recognised and sounds are related, children begin to build upon their knowledge and place the sounds together to begin to decode words. This is a process of discovery for our children and teachers guide them by carefully planning provocations which will build the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to develop their conceptual understanding of reading. If a child is only exposed to the know

ledge of letter sounds and/or names, they will not have the opportunity to apply other essential elements of reading and vital connections between the concepts of reading may not be made.

When will my child be a reader?

Each child is different and the reading journey is unique to the individual. Just as each child learns to walk at different times, they will learn to read the text at different stages too. Children are learning to read from their earliest interactions with text and illustration and this developmental stage is a key to their reading journey.

My child's preschool taught Jolly Phonics/Letterland... why don't you?

At UWCSEA, we believe in a responsive approach to learning, where teachers consider the needs and interests of the individual. One of the key elements of a packaged phonics scheme is the 'whole class,' linear approach. Whilst this may be appropriate at times in an early years classroom, our teachers understand the need to personalise the learning experiences for our children in order for them to be appropriately challenged and make connections to their prior knowledge. We also understand that play is an important vehicle for learning and therefore we offer as many play based learning opportunities as we can. Teachers may well incorporate aspects of different phonics schemes into teaching and learning but, again, this will be in response to respective learning needs.

How can I help at home?

Read for love and the enjoyment of reading. These times at home should be seen as an opportunity to bond and be presented as a gift to your child whilst avoiding too much 'teaching.'

Encourage your child to pay attention to the pictures and the words on the page.

You may like to point out some common words that you know your child already knows.

Ensure your children see you read. Be a role model for reading.

A parent's role in the reading process is to help develop a love of reading that allows students to develop a lifelong reading habit. Children need role models in reading who live literature rich lives.

By Olivia White (Literacy Coach, K-5, East Campus)

Other reading related to UWCSEA and learning:
UWCSEA Learning Principles
Literacy and Mathematics: Learning through play in the Infant School by Nicole Tripp and Olivia White
Image of the Child by Ben Morley Parenting in the Digital Age

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Let's start with the definitions: Phonics: this is the direct relationship between sound and symbol. This involves the printed word and requires the use of the eyes and the ears to decipher words. Phonemic Awareness: is hearing the relationship between sounds and symbols and involves the spoken word.

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'No wrong book' - how to get your child genuinely loving reading | BookTrust

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'No wrong book' - how to get your child genuinely loving reading | BookTrust

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'No wrong book' - how to get your child genuinely loving reading

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Children don't always gravitate towards the books you think they 'should' be reading - and that's OK, says mum Kate Hancock.