PME 811 Module 1: Reflection as a Way of Life

 Module 1 Entry 1: Reflection as a Way of Life

As a new teacher, I'm always looking for ways to 'spice up' my pedagogical repertoire, and figure out what works best for me. At the same time, I find myself gravitating toward a specific quote. "Culture eats strategy for breakfast", attributed to management consultant Peter Drucker.

Given that my area of concentration is Literacy Education, I could investigate the different ways of engaging students in the literacy process. Or, I could choose to focus on culture. In other words, I can make use of every strategy in the book; incorporate technology; audiobooks; graphic novels; and culturally relevant texts, in order to boost student interest. In the end, however, I think it comes down to the classroom and community culture. Do students have books at home? Do they enjoy reading? Why or Why not? I often think about what I need to do to motivate those students who don't enjoy reading or learning. I also think about how I can get students to buy-in to this culture, and how it can be extended to the home. At the very least, reading is a process and gateway to learning, and potentially understanding the self. The hope is that students become curious about themselves, and their place in time (there's an element of Historical awareness here, as well). I believe the act of reading and reflecting can solidify that process and allow for true learning to take place; not only of themselves but of others.    

I would argue that these are more pressing challenges. If the aim is to develop a class, school, and community culture of reading; and not simply reading to pass the time but to critically reflect on what's being read, how is that done? Especially, and I think many can agree on this, when many young students are more concerned with video games and apps. 

In short, How do I demonstrate the benefits of reading and critical reflection in order to develop a culture of reading in our classroom, school, and community

Module 1 Entry 2: Ideas on Developing a Reading Culture

After considering the comments from my colleagues, I think I'm beginning to gain a better understanding of how I can help create critical readers and a reading culture.

One colleague mentioned that for them, reading began in the home. This is certainly ideal, but I recognize the reality for some families who either don't have the time or the home library to do so. One way around this could be to take mini, walking trips to our community library and/or taking school library books home, and encouraging parents to read with their kids. Another fun idea that was suggested involves pinning a sign outside your door highlighting the books that the teachers/students are reading. 

Another colleague discussed the positive impact of the 'Book Tasting'. In this setup, teachers use tablecloths, layout books (according to genre/level) on the tables. Students then 'taste' each book in order to determine which they want to read for the week. This could be followed up with a reflection. This colleague also suggested the 'Buddy Reading Program' where younger students are paired with older students who encourage and model reading. Another quirky, yet engaging idea was recommended where teachers 'market' their books by creating infomercials; act as characters to promote their stories and inspire other readers. Last but not least was the 'Book Club' where students of certain age groups get together to read a book and discuss its themes, plots, character developments, and literary devices. 

Before ending this week's second entry, I'd also like to thank my colleague who recommended the book 'Readicide' by Kelly Gallagher. I decided to try out one of the strategies. I first made sure to include 20 minutes of Independent Reading where I walked around and questioned students; I asked for their summaries and had them provide their ratings (and what would make the book better for them). Here, the intention was not to assess formally but to encourage talking and thinking about what they read. Following a class read aloud, I had students question the book. It took some time, but they were starting to understand how to think more deeply about the story; rather than simple comprehension questions like, "Who is the author?" Next week, I will focus on more research behind developing critically thinking readers and creating a reading culture.