Literacy Learning Centers

             I really enjoyed reading this week’s article on literacy centers. I am a firm believer that children can learn through the social interactions of their peers. Children come to school with all different cultures and backgrounds and each child’s prior knowledge is different and unique. Because of this, it’s amazing to see what children can learn from each other. Literacy centers are great because it gives students the opportunity to interact and learn from each other while completing the task at hand. It also allows teachers to focus their attention to smaller groups of students. Students who have trouble can ask their classmates for help which gives an opportunity for students to peer tutor each other and develop leadership skills.

        Although the use of literacy centers has its critics I believe the pros far outweigh the cons. I found an article written by Elizabeth Stover on the Walden University Education website which talks about the benefits of literacy learning centers. She too believes student interaction can be beneficial because it allows another way for students to learn. She also points out that literacy centers not only meets a student needs by allowing students to practice skill sets but it also gives them a greater responsibility and a sense of independence.

        I believe the key to monitoring literacy centers is to keep kids accountable by spot-checking the students’ work, writing feedback to journals and writing samples and having them share what they accomplished. I also liked some of the ideas that were given in class like playing soft music in the background to help control noise level. Although some may doubt the effectiveness of literacy centers, I believe with proper monitoring and guidance it can be extremely beneficial.

Stover, E. (2010) What are the benefits of classroom literacy learning centers. Retrieved from http://connected.waldenu.edu/curriculum-resources/teaching-methods/item/1310-what-are-benefits-of-classroom-literacy-learning-centers

Portfolios & Involving Students in Self-Assessment

I love the idea of having portfolios in the classroom. I think it’s a great way to collect and organize work samples while also giving students the opportunity to be involved in choosing what pieces they would like to put in. A student’s work might include journal entries, story maps, graphic organizers, reading comprehension exercises etc. Students date the items and then place them in their portfolios in chronological order.

Portfolios can serve many purposes.  For teachers, it’s a great way to document a student’s literacy development, assess writing samples and see what assignments each child is particularly proud of.  For parents, portfolios can also show what their child has been working on and how much progress they have made. For students, it’s something they can really be proud of and call their own.

            What really peaked my interest in chapter three was using the portfolios to engage students in self-assessment. Teaching students to learn to reflect on and assess their own reading and writing activities. For example, asking students what they liked the most and least, what they think they need to improve on, what changes they see etc.

As a Montessori teacher, I have my kindergarteners keep portfolios of their work and they really enjoy taking their portfolios out and looking back at all of the work they have completed. Often times I point out differences in their work from the beginning of the year to show them how much progress they’ve made, whether its improvement in their handwriting or pointing out the words they’ve learned to spell correctly. It didn’t really dawn on me to have my students, even as kindergarteners, try to assess their work for themselves. I think it’s a great idea and exercise to try!

Motivated Students are more Successful

Motivation not only plays a key role in everyday life but also in education. Whether we are motivated to eat because we are hungry, perform better at our jobs to get a raise, or study for a test to get an A, motivation is an active part of everyday life. Its no wonder that motivated students are more successful.  As teachers it’s important to engage our students and motivate them intrinsically. Extrinsic motivation or rewards such as offering a child candy or a sticker may seem like a quick fix but intrinsic motivation will nurture a student’s engagement, allow students to enjoy the activities assigned and results in higher achievement. Chapter one of our textbook examines the engagement theory and how engaging students will motivate them intrinsically. Students who are engaged have high self-efficacy. They believe in themselves and the capability to succeed to reach their goals. Possessing high self-efficacy will allow students to persevere despite obstacles or challenges that may get in their way.

            There are several ways I try to incorporate the engagement theory in my own classroom.  By getting to know my students’ and their interests I provide a vast array of books in the classroom in hopes of peaking their interests and curiosity. Students are also given several choices for assessment activities, whether it’s writing a different ending to the story, creating a comic strip or drawing their favorite part of the book and then writing a paragraph about it. By offering several choices students become engaged and take a sense of pride and ownership of their work. It also caters to different learning styles and Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.

Encouragement and teacher feedback can also play a key role in motivating students. If the teacher believes in a student’s success they will too. A perfect example of this is the famous 1968 Rosenthal study. Teachers were given a list of students who were chosen at random and were told that they were high achievers. The results were that due to the teacher's belief of their abilities those students rose to the occasion and the children with high IQ scores did not. Teachers should have high expectations and goals for all of their students. Encouraging students and believing in them will intrinsically motivate students to excel and be successful.