Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Entry #3
Literacy is a system that utilizes four skills simultaneously: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Oral language is the foundation of the reading process. Without it, scaffolding to reading would not be effectively possible. Language is something that has to be created within context. These context vary and have to many times be experienced orally before can be effectively interpreted via reading. As seen in Chapter 2 of Gibbons, much of the scaffolding that occurs within literacy begins with oral communication between the teacher and peers. Gibbons stresses that in order for a good task to be completed within scaffolding, "Talk is necessary for the task". Students need to interact and collaboratively work to help each other create and expand vocabulary that then can be used to increase reading fluency.
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I too loved the idea of "talk is necessary" to success. I can't stand it when teachers, parents, or anyone for that matter, expects results if the directions are just written or said once. It's throwing away the opportunity to glean so much more knowledge about a person than any assessment could provide.
ReplyDeleteThe key is presenting in a variety of ways. Struggling literacy students are needing repetition and exposure in a variety of ways. An observant teacher can also figure out which ways a student "inputs" best and which is the weakest in order to make sure what is needed to be understood, yet work on improving the weaknesses so students are able to adjust to other situations. Thanks for the comment. - Matt
DeleteI also agree, that students must "hear" the talk before they can "say" the talk. I think about when my children were little, and we talked to them all of the time. It wasn't as if they understood us, but in some ways you could also see the wheels turning in their heads. Now, we have engaging conversations that sometimes last into the late evening hours. Professionally, I love to see teachers who also engage their students with talk. Long gone are the days of students sitting in rows, absorbing the material. Now, collaborative classrooms seem to be the norm. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts, they were insightful and intriguing.-Helena
DeleteI especially like the idea that the wheels are turning even though there may not be an immediate conversational response. Even first language users are building their schemas and making connections before jumping into conversation. Wait time is necessary for all learners...even adults. How often have I jumped into a conversation thinking I had an understanding only to realize that I needed more think time?
DeleteSometimes I think there is too much random talk going on in my classroom unrelated to the focus area, but I need to remind myself that it is ALL purposeful, especially as all of my kids are acquiring language, even if not always at the best time.
Thank you all for your thinking. Kathy