Welcome to the Teachers as Readers Blog. Our current book selection is Disrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. We will be posting a question each Wednesday for you to respond to. Here is the schedule so that you can begin reading and be prepared to share your thoughts with the group. In addition, please feel free to ask literacy questions or share ideas/info with this group. The more we collaborate, the stronger we are! Week of January 24th: Welcome and Overview Week of January 30th: Book Introduction and Part 1 (Chapters 1-4) Prompt for January 30-February 6: (Please respond via LEAVE A REPLY area below) a. Do you believe that reading has the power to change us...to change who we are? b. How often do you ask your students: " How did this reading change who you are?" c. What do you do to encourage students to be responsive and/or compassionate readers? Week of February 7th: Book Part 2 (Chapters 5-9) Prompts for week of February 7 - 13: (Please respond via LEAVE A REPLY area below) a. How will the Book, Head, Heart framework be useful in supporting your students' literacy learning? b. How will you introduce it to your students? c. How will you continue to maintain the framework in your instruction? Week of February 14th: Book Part 3 (Chapters 10-12) Prompts for February 14 - 20: (Please respond via LEAVE A REPLY area below) a. What best practices do you implement in your literacy instruction? b. What are some “next practices” you’d like to try? c. How could you begin to implement them? ** Feel free to post your own thoughts/ideas/questions throughout the week Week of February 21st: Book Part 3 (Chapters 13-15) and conclusion Prompt for week of February 21-28: What do you think about the practices discussed in the next three chapters? Tell us your thoughts/ideas about:
* How has your thinking about how students read been disrupted or changed as a result of reading this book? From the online chat? * Do you have any recommendations for future professional development books? * For the Book Club itself? THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING! Link to podcast with Beers and Probst: http://www.oomscholasticblog.com/podcast/disrupting-thinking-why-how-we-read-matters Link to purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Thinking-Why-Read-Matters/dp/1338132903
22 Comments
Hello. My name is Sandy and I am looking forward to reading the book and interacting with other educators in the weeks ahead! I believe discussing what one is reading is crucial to obtaining a deeper understanding of text by hearing others' perspectives! Each if us will bring a different "lens' to this Chat! I am sure I will learn a lot from all of you in the Chat!
Reply
Sandy
1/30/2018 08:34:46 am
1. YES!!! Reading has such power to make us who we have been, who we are now, and who we will be in the future. Through critical reading, one can gain deeper insights to oneself and the world around us. The genre of the literature does not matter- it shapes us as human beings. And our influence as forever learners with our students can help them too see deeper within and without.
Reply
Sandy, it is interesting to think about posing this question, "How has this reading changed me?" to students that have disabilities. Because they find reading painful I think we need to make reading so much more meaningful and relevant to them. I agree that choice is super important in order to do this!
Reply
sandy shacklady-white
2/4/2018 01:30:52 pm
Hi, Cindy. 1/31/2018 06:14:43 am
Hi! I'm an educational consultant working with teachers in PreK- High School. My focus is literacy, growth mindset, social & emotional learning and gifted education. I am really excited to be learning from everyone that participates in this book chat and interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas!
Reply
Week of January 30th:
Reply
Linda
2/1/2018 07:21:42 am
Hi everyone, my name is Linda and I currently work with children of a diverse and inclusive population from 6 weeks of age through 12 years of age. I am very excited to engage with each of you and to dive into Disrupting Thinking by K. Beers and R. Probst. As a thirty-eight year veteran in the educational field I believe that the foundation of life is dependent on literacy and the connections we make to reading and the transformational experiences we utilize as we become more empathic readers. I can on a personal level remember reading the book Little Women as a student. This early experience surpassed the act of decoding, recalling and responding to the required assignment, it made a personal connection to the feminist and educator I am today. I believe that when children start in the crib to make connections to reading, they become readers who feed their heads and hearts in the world of literature.
Reply
sandy shacklady-white
2/4/2018 01:41:15 pm
Excellent points, Linda. My mother was an avid reader (would be still if not for her blindness caused by diabetes-- she is now 88 and will not do audio books as they really are not like the real thing, now is it?!!!)
Reply
Linda
2/6/2018 11:08:31 am
Sandy thanks for sharing! I am so amazed at the value the computer holds in our modern world but often feel that in the world of literacy...the art of reading is lost. I work with a diverse population of learners and live in the light of the scientist in the crib theory. The younger we saturate children with words, sounds and the written text, the greater chance we have to develop readers who love the written word. Our libraries should not be a place with dusty books on a shelf but a place in which children supplement their learning. Book stores should be an elevated choice as is Bounce U to many families. The foundation of all learning begins with positive outcomes and success in the world of reading. I lecture to many parent groups throughout Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties and find a common thread among these groups; lack of involvement and success with literacy is something they should be getting from school. The missing piece to this puzzle is the parent who has placed a higher priority on mall shopping, Lego Land or a new cell phone.. As a child growing up in Philadelphia, the art of reading was a priority in our home and it shows in my siblings as well as myself. Going to the library, working collectively on building literacy skills and finding value in a good book was a part of my parents educational tool belt. The key to reading success begins in the home and is supported by the school not vise versa. Children's opportunities for life long success must begin in the crib and be supported by parents, family, educators and community. Children who are successful readers are most often success learners. This is the most important job of their lives and the need to get back to grass roots learning is a must in our living planet.
sandy
2/6/2018 03:28:52 pm
Hi. Agree 100+%. I like how the book speaks to cultivating readers who are: responsive, responsible and compassionate. Totally overlooked in most classrooms today. And the parent piece is HUGE. What a shift sine we were kids. Too much to distract society today from becoming more well-rounded as human being via literacy.
Reply
Linda
2/23/2018 06:40:32 am
Dr. Teale is a real lost to our global picture. His teachings are his legacy.
Reply
Ro Batson
2/7/2018 03:30:59 pm
Hello Cindy, Sandy, and Linda,
Reply
Linda
2/23/2018 06:53:58 am
The BHH framework in practice does provide strategies to evoke life long learners and readers. Matching skill level and content can be more difficult with an older population of students who have not had reading success. I find the company, Reading Matters, offers an inexpensive way to connect content and skill level in their book selections that still maintains a interest level at a vocabulary level that will offer success.
Reply
sandy
2/7/2018 04:44:50 pm
Week of 2/7 response:
Reply
I tried to upload a graphic organizer that someone shared with me for students but couldn't figure out how to do this on the blog. However it has 3 columns and asks these questions:
Reply
sandy shacklady-white
2/18/2018 12:12:55 pm
Hello, fellow bloggers.
Reply
Linda
2/23/2018 07:57:33 am
I agree 100% with your reported thoughts. My largest bump in the road of education is the way educators or shall I say school districts are allowing our educators to teach children. As a 38 year veteran and working with diverse populations in private, public and governmental institutions of learning my primary focus begins with assessment. Throughout these critical years accurate assessment of children’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions in reading and writing help teachers better match instruction with how and what children are learning. However, early reading and writing cannot simply be measured as a set of narrowly-defined skills on standardized tests. These measures often are not reliable or valid indicators of what children can do in typical practice, nor are they sensitive to language variation, culture, or the experiences
Reply
Linda
2/23/2018 09:04:47 am
Just a few thoughts on our most recent reading of Chapters 13-15. Silent reading, classroom talk and same book? Silent reading- lost art in the schools, silent reading and classroom talk allow a student to discover their value in the reading, what they are thinking of while they read and how it makes them feel. Same book takes away choice and often discourages children from my experience to what to read and find their own personal passion in a book, genre or topic. What works: students must be given choice in what to read, we must increase the amount they read, they must be encouraged to read aloud to a partner or parent, we must teach questioning strategies and model that process as educators. Letting go of some control is a critical skill for educators and helps students to become active readers who construct meaning when they read. .
Reply
sandy
2/23/2018 11:32:58 am
Thanks for sharing. Excellent points! The last point on "control" is SOOOO true. We need to facilitate learning more and help the kids work hard to obtain the skills and love for reading and writing!
Reply
sandy
2/25/2018 12:04:12 pm
Hello, fellow lovers of literacy & of teaching literacy skills to others!
Reply
sandy
3/1/2018 06:40:37 am
What a wonderful book! easy to read yet powerful! Love the ideas a concepts presented. certainly makes me rethink practices that are in place in so many classrooms. My thinking was disrupted and has moved in another direction that is beyond t hat of just literacy. Why can't we do more out of the box thinking when we teach? We need to get back to both the art AND science of teaching so that we may help children to learn. We need to ensure that we well educate our students who will be our leaders one day.
Reply
Linda
3/5/2018 10:44:40 am
I have really enjoyed not only the book but engaging with other individuals who see the bigger picture when it comes to education. I wish more teachers would have a passion for their craft.....then we can change one student at a time. The book supported my educational tool belt and has inspired my continued fight to recognize the connection between reading, writing and all areas of learning. I look forward to more opportunities in the future to blog about our educational quest. Happy Spring season to all !
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
ArchivesCategories |