I enjoyed reading chapters 5 & 6. As I was reading Jake's story I noticed many similarities in male students that I have had in the past. Male students in kindergarten seem to be more focused on "play". Often time teachers see this "play" as just that. I don't agree with that. I believe that students learn through active play. Boys interact in the classroom in a different way from girls. Often times they are louder use more sound effects and seem to have a motor running. The fact that Jake was able to move freely in his kindergarten classroom helped his transition to formal schooling.
Jake's family valued education but in a different way. Education for them had a purpose. Jake was working and learning to do what his dad did. His family discourse was very involved and supportive. They used literacy in their house daily. They interacted with text. Jake saw his parents reading. They were reading for a purpose.
When Jake entered formal schooling he did not see his purpose with reading. The fact that his kindergarten teacher allowed him to express himself freely in centers was helping Jake bridge the gap between what he saw at home and what he did at school. He used the centers to narrate what he knew and was taught at home. Unfortunately when Jake entered first grade he was not allowed the freedom and the demands of formal school was more visible for Jake. He was behind in reading because the text did not have purpose for him. The first grade teacher did not seem to be able to adapt her teaching to provide scaffolding for Jake. He was lost and did not have any way to relate to what was being taught at school. In second grade I believe that Jake's teacher gave him the opportunity to close some of the gap between his home and school discourses. She provided the opportunity for Jake to be able to write on topics of his choice. This allowed Jake to write about his family. By the end of the school year Jake was writing in a style that showed he understood classroom practices in writing.
Jake and Laurie both needed and approach to school that was a balance between what they know at home and what they need to be able to do in formal school. As a teacher I believe that you can provide this balance of Hybrid approach to teaching by learning about your students. As teachers our job is to provide the resources, scaffolding and experiences in school that will make our students successful. This can be a very difficult balance and is individual for each child. We have to be able to related to the students and provide reading and writing instruction that will be meaningful them as students.
Angie Somers
Comments (2)
Angie,
I can agree with you. I find that during the day my students are not required to constantly sit and be quiet. I think that they should be allowed some level of activity. When they are in centers, I allow my students to talk quietly, as long as it is about what they are working on. If I have a student that requires to stand up to concentrate I allow that. I think for a child like Jake, the teacher should make sure that he reads for a purpose. The teacher should make sure that there is some sort of follow up activity that Jake would enjoy doing. I wonder if that would help him succeed more?
Posted by Natalie Enns | June 28, 2010 9:41 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 21:41
I agree that kindergarten free movement and time spent in centers helped Jake make the transition from home to school. He felt like his tasks had a purpose and they were more active. I agree with you that teachers really need to learn about their students and whenever possible give your students some choice in activities. This is hard for teachers to do especially when you have a large class but it is worth the time. Students need to know that they are important to the teacher. As much as possible teachers need to make the tasks meaningful to each child but this is hard to do. So much is asked of teachers and we have to just do the best we can for each student that we have.
Posted by Ashley Caldwell | June 29, 2010 3:38 PM
Posted on June 29, 2010 15:38