You're back!!!!!!! Zoe On Thursday, July 10, 2008, at 10:31 AM, ginger/rob wrote:
> As many of you know, I took a years break from the listserv. I > entrusted > the moderation role to Jennifer and she has done a superb job. > Jennifer > will continue to retain the title "moderator" again this year. As for > me, > especially after attending Stephanie Harvey's 2 day institute, I am > ready to > reenter the arena of the talk you all do so deeply here. I am > especially > interested in talking about the beginning of the year stuff. I think > revisiting the procedural/routine training steps and the early strategy > lessons will not only help me get back into the groove of thinking > "school" > (why is it I always seem to forget how to start the year when I'm > away?) but > will be a support to new teachers and teachers new to this teaching. I > invite you all to reflect on how you begin your year and please jump > in and > share! > > Every year I start out by laying the groundwork for my work all year. > I > believe very strongly in establishing clear routines and expectations. > The > time we take at the beginning of the year to model and practice the > routines > (transitions, how to sit in the gathering area, active listening, turn > and > talk, etc.) simply prepares our students to do the learning work with > us > throughout the year. > > To get myself ready for this crucial beginning work, I make a list of > all > the transitions (entering the room, lining up for specials/lunch/etc., > coming to the gathering area, end of the day), and other routines we > will be > following all year. This helps me to be clear on what I need to > explicitly > teach my students. I need to be very clear on what I want in their > everyday > behaviors so that I can model and teach them what I am looking for. It > ensures success if we teach them explicitly up front. A great book > for this > "training" phase is The Daily 5. While the book is written to help > set up > the structure of the reading workshop, you can easily transfer the > "talk" > they use with their students to all situations where "training" is > involved > to point to success. > > The very first day of school I make a ring of seats in a circle and > have the > children take a seat. I have an easel with chart paper already filled > out > with many pages of a T-chart I use (and wish EVERYONE would use, > because it > is SO POWERFUL!!!) that says: LOOKS LIKE on one side and SOUNDS LIKE > on the > other side. > > I teach my new group active listening first. It is a strong piece of > the > foundation of engagement for the year. I talk to them about how I'm > sure > they are so used to having to face the teacher when he/she is teaching > but > that now they are going to be turning their bodies and eyes to > whomever it > is that is speaking in the room. So I walked around the outside of the > circle and asked them to show me what it would look like if they were > doing > Active Listening "on me" over here. They all rotated their bodies and > faced > me. Then I pointed to someone sitting over there on the carpet (say > John) > and said if we pretended he was sharing HIS thinking next how would it > look > to do Active Listening "on John". (I know that is not correct grammar > but > you'll see why I use it in a minute.) So they all rotated towards > him. I > walked over to where John was sitting and talked to them about how at > first > this will probably feel VERY uncomfortable because typically we are > not used > to having the entire class facing us when we are talking. But the > reason we > do it is because we all believe that what John has to say is VERY > IMPORTANT > and worthy of our respect. That we can learn from John's thinking. > That > maybe what John is about to share connects with something we were > thinking. > That RECEIVING the thinking of our classmates is a very important part > of > what we will be doing all year. In order to RECEIVE that thinking > best it > helps to face the person sharing. Then I walked back to the head of > the > group and reinforced those who turned their bodies and eyes on me as I > walked. For those who did not I simply say "Active Listening on me > now." > "Eyes and bodies facing the speaker." "I'm the one sharing my > thinking so > you need to face me now." > > This next part I tend to forget until we get going but when I remember > I > also teach the person who is sharing/answering to turn and face THE > GROUP > and not direct his/her words TO THE TEACHER. You can't BELIEVE how > powerful > it is when the child looks into the group (or faces the direction > where most > of the class is sitting) and talks to THEM rather than turn to the > teacher > and respond to the teacher. It is a HARD habit to break, especially > the > older they are, but doing this changes the feel of the responding. So > when > we get going and someone is asked to share back we all "do Active > Listening" > on her and SHE looks at the kids NOT ME when she shares back. It is SO > cool! > > We then chart what Active Listening LOOKS LIKE and SOUNDS LIKE on our > T-chart. > > LOOKS LIKE: > bodies turned toward the speaker > hands quiet > faces toward speaker > eyes on person talking > mouths closed > ears listening > person sharing looks AT THE GROUP NOT THE TEACHER > > SOUNDS LIKE: > one person talking at a time > everyone else silent > > My expectation from this point on is that each time someone shares (or > is > called on to share) we will ALL do Active Listening "on that person" > and > that person looks toward to the group when sharing. Now they don't > just > start doing it naturally after this. It takes TONS of redirecting > them and > what I do (which can sound like interrupting but I believe it is the > only > way to shape behaviors as they happen) is this. Say Mary is raising > her > hand to contribute/share. Before I call on her I remind the group > this way. > I say, "See me looking over to Mary to signal I am going to be calling > on > her? That's your clue to start turning toward Mary to do Active > Listening > "on Mary". (I know. I know. That's not proper English. But is sure > works!) I tell Mary not to start to share her thinking until she sees > everyone facing her. Those who are not responding get a visual cue > from me > if I can catch their eye (I point over towards Mary and circle my > finger in > a circle to tell them to turn) or they get a tap on the shoulder from > me or > a nudge to turn around. I even help them rotate if they are just > turning > their heads and not their bodies. (Yes this seems ANAL and time > consuming > but PLEASE remember that this is the "training" stage and the benefit > will > show itself soon IF you stick with this and go this deep! It is SO > worth > it!!!!) Then I encourage Mary to share her thinking. If she turns to > tell > ME her thinking I point to the kids and softly say "Tell the kids, not > me. > I'll listen too!". I point her back to the kids with my hand. We've > trained our kids by habit now to just look at us. It doesn't feel > natural > to talk to the class. Mary might try to look into the group and within > seconds she is back looking at me (possibly seeing validation? Isn't > that > something we need to wipe out! Instead honor sharing as ALL > valuable??!!) > and I AGAIN point her back to the group. > > When it starts to click in them and they do it automatically you will > be SO > AMAZED at the engagement during these "answering/sharing times". No > longer > will it be just one person getting called on to talk back to you. > They will > all be receiving the "answer/thinking" and the student sharing will > feel > listened to and that their thinking is important. > > When they start to slip back into being more passive I step it up > again and > verbally remind them and redirect them. I am very big on the > reflecting over > how it went part too! How did they feel it went? What do we need to > work > on? Teaching THEM to be reflective on group processes is important and > worth the time it takes. > > I've got more to share but I'll send it in several emails. > It feels great to be back. > > Ginger W. > Mosaic owner > grade 3 > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
