Course Outcomes Come Out

I certainly have a much better appreciation for teaching reading, and a greater understanding of teaching the four parts of literacy: reading, writing, speaking, listening. The most difficult of these seem to be writing and speaking (at least in academic language and settings). I think listening is very difficult, as well. As with many things, differentiation for students with literacy needs benefits all students. Special Education and English a Second Language both need things like direct instruction and time to listen, process, and respond. These students also come from a wide variety of skill levels, so not all students with “needs” have the same needs! Developing a relationship with students is paramount to helping that student with what he or she, specifically, needs to learn and improve.

I liked how we had the opportunity to look at different approaches taken by teachers, and I love having a variety of ideas and resources to turn to when I enter the field. Tutoring was pretty amazing, as well. I learned how different students approach problems. There seems to be a hierarchy of things they do or do not do in order to get somewhere. Some of these methods are premeditated, while some seem to be habitual or just carelessness. Simple things to me, like reading directions, present some students with insurmountable challenges. These issues are not necessary, though. Students defeat themselves sometimes before they even begin. I imagine this must come from experiences that have nothing to do with the task at hand, habits forged as a response to teacher input, or family environment, and many other unknown variables.

Perhaps the best thing I got from this class was the concept of differentiation as it concerns text selection. Simply offering choice can make such a huge difference, I am amazed at how little I have seen it practiced. I did note that special education teachers do it, as I have subbed at BOCES starting last school year. They offer different texts, have smaller class sizes, lots of one on one instruction, tutoring as needed, and the simple practice of remaining calm when students act out. There was nothing so surprising as hearing rough language and seeing students act in threatening ways, until I noticed how certain teachers use patience and calm to defuse these situations. Rather than taking a bad situation and making it worse, there are ways to make the “bad” situation not a situation at all. Teachers have an incredible power of choice in these matters. It all comes down to what is best for each individual student, whether considered as one person or a member of a class, a school, or a community.

Another tool I got as a student in this class was the knowledge of how to use the internet to evaluate texts and to find materials for teaching reading. Assessing the reading level of a text, for instance, is something I plan to use consistently in my career. I also was impressed by some of the texts chosen for our class, the way the readability was not necessarily high or difficult, but offered a rich opportunity to explore meaning and offer ideas. The picture book and the short story were particularly useful. This modeling of literacy techniques in our classroom has helped me enrich my understanding of choosing and using alternative texts.