Monday, October 20, 2014

Reading Recovery Webcast

Webcast: Small Groups: Making Decisions for Individual Learners within a Small Group Setting

            This webcast emphasized the importance of small group work and having students collaborate together when practicing literacy and fluency.  Literacy is an essential component when students are learning and applying reading and writing strategies into their daily work.  As a teacher, I think the most important thing to focus on is to acknowledge what the learner needs.  I think this simple task can be easily lost in the process of teaching a lesson that needs to be covered.  Adding to this statement, I also believe that grouping students together based on their needs is beneficial to their learning and to your effectiveness as a teacher.  Every student learns differently—some can listen and understand where as some need visual instruction.  Using small groups allows you to pick books based on their reading levels and interests, focus on specific concepts depending on the students’ needs, and allows students of the same skills/levels to discuss and learn together.

            Another great point that not only the webcast talks about but we, as a class, has discussed every week—give students enough opportunities and time to read and write.  This isn’t just advice that is given frequently to teachers for the heck of it!  I think it’s something that not only teachers but also parents should focus on.  Personally, at the start of the semester I thought this was just common sense—I mean who hasn’t heard the saying “practice makes perfect”?  But I’ve come to realize that this is a point that is easily forgotten.  Giving any student enough time to practice their reading and writing will improve their skills and hopefully make them love it.  Now giving students, especially ELL students, this time both independently and in small groups will give them an additional, if not more beneficial, activity for their learning.  It gives them the opportunity to learn and fully understand the reading strategies and then combine their new knowledge and language skills to practice with a group discussion.  Merging both reading and language skills for ELL students will help them develop and improve their cognition and language.


[For Jill: This webcast was definitely not a short video like the one I mistakenly watched, but was a lot more useful and informational for teaching practices.  Sorry again for my confusion last week!!]

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