Using reading and writing strategies in religious studies may help my students to become active learners, so as to acquire the habit of reflecting as well as practicing higher level of thinking. I believe that the role of academic literacy strategies should be discussed and studied at whole school level so that every teacher may contribute to make them part of the teaching and learning strategies practiced in a school. In other words, a well-rounded curriculum should integrate the responsibility of developing academic literacy in every class.
In my school we have just started discussions about literacy strategies. Actually, the process of changing our mental models progresses slowly. So thus, we know that our students are successful entering the best universities in the country. However, it seems that we receive more and more feedback that indicates us the need of reinforcing academic literacy development in our school. To some extent, former students are urging us to give more space to learning skills development that are necessary to succeed in a fast changing academic environment and work place as well. The remarkable content knowledge should be paired with remarkable learning skills.
As we can experience even by writing our blog entries and also through other written assignments, personal reading and writing help us to deepen our thinking and our capacity of expressing our thoughts. I can tell that, even though I am a novice English reader and writer, through my readings and short writing activities I can already experience the joy of progressing. Furthermore, I highly appreciate the opportunity of reading different views on the same educational topic or issue. This experience reinforces my belief that I have to make academic literacy development part of my teaching strategy. Actually, in religious studies reading and writing activities may open the mind of my students to engage with readings and issues that are actually connected to their every day experience. I appreciate the idea of scaffolding these activities; I think this is a crucial strategy in order to lead young readers and writers to experience success.
In my school we have just started discussions about literacy strategies. Actually, the process of changing our mental models progresses slowly. So thus, we know that our students are successful entering the best universities in the country. However, it seems that we receive more and more feedback that indicates us the need of reinforcing academic literacy development in our school. To some extent, former students are urging us to give more space to learning skills development that are necessary to succeed in a fast changing academic environment and work place as well. The remarkable content knowledge should be paired with remarkable learning skills.
As we can experience even by writing our blog entries and also through other written assignments, personal reading and writing help us to deepen our thinking and our capacity of expressing our thoughts. I can tell that, even though I am a novice English reader and writer, through my readings and short writing activities I can already experience the joy of progressing. Furthermore, I highly appreciate the opportunity of reading different views on the same educational topic or issue. This experience reinforces my belief that I have to make academic literacy development part of my teaching strategy. Actually, in religious studies reading and writing activities may open the mind of my students to engage with readings and issues that are actually connected to their every day experience. I appreciate the idea of scaffolding these activities; I think this is a crucial strategy in order to lead young readers and writers to experience success.
Your comments echoed some of what we discussed at a recent faculty meeting. Some teachers were frustrated about time and others about the very culture of their classes allowing for journaling. I think that choice has a great deal to play in what kids want to read and respond; getting to know students beforehand is huge when getting them to engage in their readings. I think you also have something when you mentioned the feedback from former students- they are the best way to know if teachers are doing the right things.
ReplyDeleteOne of the skills that a digital generation student should learn is how to synthesize the information he/she gets from the different sources. I think to synthesize informations one has to capture the ideas and making them part of ones knowledge. The suggestion given in the book "Best Practice" is the road leading to a synthesis. To be actively involved in the search for knowledge gives the student a chance to develop more his/her enthusiasm to learn academically.
ReplyDeleteThe line that caught my attention in your post was, "The remarkable content knowledge should be paired with remarkable learning skills." I wholeheartedly believe in this, and maybe it goes back to a previous comment of mine where I talk about the difficulty of balancing between so many "good" things within education. Content-based learning and skill-based learning are two sides of the coin, no doubt. One cannot be an educated person without knowing the hows of expanding his or her own knowledge, yet knowledge does not itself expand without new items to add to the trove. It makes me think about what I have myself gained in this class, what is content and what is skill. Perfect fodder for a synthesis project! Thanks for making me think.
ReplyDeleteI agree that writing in whatever subject is so very important. Journaling happens in math as well as religion as well as history. To be able to reflect immediately on any topic or subject allows everyone to have voice that they may not have had in a classroom discussion. It is what we are able to do here with blogging. I know that the comments I have been able to make here would never have been voiced in the classroom. There is just not enough time. Zemelman offered some very good student centered ideas for writing in the classroom. I especially liked his idea on partnering for a written conversaqtion. Students are given two to three minutes to respond to a given piece of reading. At the end of the two/three minutes, they swap with another student in the class and respond again to what was read. It allows for quite a bit of sharing of ideas in a limited amount of time. Blogging, even allows a greater degree of sharing of ideas, but I am not quite ready to try it with the younger age group.
ReplyDeleteWriting and reading are closely related, almost inseparable. Better writers tend to be better readers, and better readers produce better writing. In our 7th grade class, we are trying to show students how enjoyable reading can be. We started our 'Reading Workshop' earlier in the year, and now it occurs almost every week in our class. During this time, the students are allowed 25 min/day to read their own personal book and write letters to the teacher about what they've been reading. They can write about anything they feel is important to include in their letter: likes, dislikes, questions, or personal connections. Their letters are hand-written and two letters are due every other week from each student. The students have really enjoyed participating in 'Reading Workshop' because we're giving them class time to read a book of their choice. The letter writing is a little less formal, with no direct topic to write on, so it has more of a 'journal' feel. The quality of their letters have improved dramatically throughout the year, both content and grammar. As you said,'reading and writing activities may open the mind of my students to engage with readings and issues that are actually connected to their every day experience,' I completely agree with you, and I feel our 'Reading Workshop' has been a successful experience for the students.
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