Actually, Ginger, I would like to print this in our district newsletter. Would you mind?
On 7/10/08 8:54 PM, "Waingort Jimenez, Elisa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hey Ginger, > It's great to have you back on the listserv. I love your post below and I do > something similar to what you describe but I have to admit I'm not consistent > and I let things go when I shouldn't. This sends a mixed message to the > students and makes management of learning very difficult. I am saving your > post as a reminder when I start planning for the beginning of the year. > Thanks for sharing, > Elisa > > Elisa Waingort > Grade 2 Spanish Bilingual > Dalhousie Elementary > Calgary, Canada > > > > 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. > -- Lori Jackson District Literacy Coach & Mentor Todd County School District Box 87 Mission SD 57555 http:www.tcsdk12.org ph. 605.856.2211 Literacies for All Summer Institute July 17-20. 2008 Tucson, Arizona _______________________________________________ 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.
