There is no one right way to teach, and no one program that will meet
the needs of all students. To me, the term, "packaged program for
balanced literacy" is inherently an oxymoron. For those of us who
came of age in our classrooms in the early to mid 90s, who learned to
use running records as a matter of course during guided reading
groups and miscue analyses for more information, who were encouraged
by administrators to use a workshop approach with heterogeneous
classrooms, who used real literature (some leveled, some not), who
learned to document our kidwatching with action terms and not
editorial terms, who moved through our days doing individual and
small group conferencing, who developed ways to help students drive
their own learning and do ongoing self-assessments, this incessant
gathering of data and overuse of programs is rather distressing,
especially when it is being driven from way at the top by people far,
far removed from the classroom.
More two cents...
Renee
On Oct 11, 2011, at 8:40 PM, jeanette hayden wrote:
Could you please define "OLDER". And please explain your 'kid-
watching' training. Was that by the Goodman's?
Some of we 'Elders' have been hit in the head by the pendulum a few
times. So please forgive us.
Many of my student teachers are trained to do standard based
lessons, but know nothing about book levels, thematic or integrated
teaching, running records, etc.
New to the profession are wonderful techies.
Just had a conversation with someone wanting to do her research on
'guided reading groups' and how effective they were.
Remember, Regie Routman's Literacy at the Crossroads was in the
late 90's.
Jeanette Hayden
On Oct 11, 2011, at 2:37 AM, Felicia Barra wrote:
I would also agree. I teach in a fairly large district (9 elementary
schools) where we've adopted a packaged program for balanced
literacy. It's
not perfect but a good start. The older teachers want a step by step
scripted curriculum with a workbook which teaches skills not
strategies. It
is the younger teachers who have continued to do research, further
their
education and read professionally that understand what needs to be
done. I
even have a colleague that displays worksheets on her classroom
bulletin
board!
-----Original Message-----
From: mosaic-bounces+fcbsmom3=optonline....@literacyworkshop.org
[mailto:mosaic-bounces
+fcbsmom3=optonline....@literacyworkshop.org] On
Behalf Of kmuppe...@aol.com
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 8:07 PM
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] title 1 reading - help
Oh wow. I see absolutely the opposite! Most of the newer teachers I
see were at least trained in kid-watching. I see older teachers who
want a manual and step by step scripted curriculum. Or want to
continue the books and worksheets they have used for 15 or 20 years!
In fact, I just had a conference with my own daugher's teacher. My
daughter is left handed. The room only had right hand desks. I
wanted
it changed. The teacher said no one has ever had a problem in 20
years. Really? Or she never noticed?
-----Original Message-----
From: Renee <phoenix...@sbcglobal.net>
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Mon, Oct 10, 2011 7:30 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] title 1 reading - help
I absolutely agree! I am concerned that it seems that newer/younger
teachers are less and less able to rely on their own observations,
and that it seems the norm to instantly look for a program of some
kind, rather than cultivate the knowledge and observational skills
necessary for good kid-watching. And once again, this is not a
criticism of newer/younger teachers... it is a criticism of the
system and their trainers.
Renee
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"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
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~ Voltaire
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