Discuss what you are thinking for your lesson plan. What did you consider in making that decision?
Considering the fact that I have not been to field placement since Thursday, Jan. 17th, I am not that far along in the planning phases of my future literacy lesson plan.
However, before I dive into planning this lesson I want to get with my CT and talk about the thematic units she'll be covering this semester. My plan is to do that when I return to the field on Monday, Feb 4th.
Although I am not prepared to discuss the prompt provided for this week my brain is still very much wrapped up on the "new form" of discussion that we read about in Almasi. As I was reading the article I couldn't help but think there was nothing wrong with the form of discussion that she deems "recitation". After all, this is the only form of discussion that I have ever seen in a classroom. Teachers are always facilitators and as a student, I've always wanted to tell the teacher exactly what he or she wants to hear...So what happens when the teacher becomes a moderator and only interjects in the discussion to direct students on the right path?
The benefits of a true discussion, one in which the students are learning from each other and making connections for new information to fit into their schema of prior knowledge, are clear. One of the most beneficial advantages that I see from a true discussion is the social acceptance that comes from one peer evaluating another peers response. There is less fear/anxiety of saying a wrong answer, because you're not telling it to the teacher, who "knows" all the answers. Instead, you're sharing a thought with a group of classmates, some of which you'll probably convince.
There are more benefits of this kind of discussion that Almasi goes on to mention, however, I want to stop and apply this kind of learning tool to my field placement. In a room full of 27 Kindergartners, I am a bit hesitant about jumping into an Almasi discussion. What about the student who has something to say about everything? Or the students who can't process a discussion with such limited structure? In my opinion, this type of discussion has a place in education, however, I do not believe that it is in my CT's classroom, nor most Kindergarten classrooms.
Kindergartners are socially accepting. They want to be friends with everyone and they think classmate is a synomym for friend. They write stories about each other everyday. Do they really need evalutation from their peers? Sure they do. Does it need to come from a class discussion? I don't believe so.
Monday, January 28, 2008
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2 comments:
I'm currently struggling with the same thing! In my first-grade classroom, a big part of the curriculum is teaching children how to "be" in a school. Things like patience and social deference are not natural, and yet societal custom demands it. Like you, I think that traditional recitation discussion teaches children these things. However, at the same time, I see that that certain people (often girls) are the ones to defer, while others profit from their "good behavior." So how do we reconcile the two? Sometimes I feel like I'm taking too much for granted in our educational system. Maybe discussions like those proposed by Amalfi will lead to a new understanding of what it means to "be" while in a school.
I agree. Teaching students real life applications is a huge part of the Kindergarten curriculum. Therefore, I think I've decided to use "The Jolly Postman" and teach my lesson based on the postal service. Sending mail is a great life lesson that is not a part of the curriculum being used in my classroom, so I'm excited :)
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