I like the analogy about teaching a child to ride a bike by holding onto the child and gradually releasing her. She says, “It is not easy to simply tell a young writer to do something and to have our words translate into new actions. Usually for this to happen, we must tailor our instruction so that it is very much within the learner's zone of proximal development." and needs to be both" doable and worth doing" .This invitation to improve their writing seems at the heart of motivation and the willingness to both learn and practice something new! (Alice’s comment)
Quote: Guided practice is the most prevalent teaching method in our primary writing conferences. Nothing a teacher can do or say in a conference will inform a learner as much as the learner's own actions. …… Think of guided practice as the method we use when we teach a child to ride a bike.
Comment: I feel Chapter 11 was written for me. I want to strengthen my ability of confer, but feel like I am always rushed trying to conference with several students during writer's workshop, but only reaching one. Then the other students feel discouraged or neglected because I did not read their writing. =(
Quote: We expect a tremendous amount of focus and maturity from very young people - they are quite able to rise to the occasion, but we must explicitly, patiently, and repeatedly show them how. - page 103
Comment - I particularly love how during conferencing she will have the students "act out" the feeling of the writing and have them shout where needed and move when needed and then they write.
I believe that in teaching young children guided practice would have to go hand in hand with explaining & showing. I am a visual learner along with a verbal learner, so for me, to see the expectation while introducing the writing would help me with organization, ideas, thought process, and end result.
The theme seems to be "show, don't tell." I liked the point made that we want to make sure that the amount of talking we do as teachers is focused and brief. We don't want to muddle what is being done with too much discussion.
I also learned a lot about patience in writing. There's so much to be taught. So much that is taken for granted--where to start on the paper, spacing, what a written product will look like, etc., and we need to remember that progress towards an expectation is progress and should be rewarded. I like the positive reinforcement that is part of the parting conversation.
I connected with a moment in the text--on P. 83--"Is this the story of you and your mom getting stuck in traffic because of the flood, or is it getting shoes?" Oh the conferences I have had about this! Students were given a prompt and in an attempt to please have written several stories--and not really touched on the one they've been asked to tell.
" . . . in order for us to learn from what someone else has done, that person's actions need to seem both doable and worth doing."
p. 78 Our job in a coaching conference is to run alongside the child as he or she rides a bike-or rereads, or adds details, or envisions, or listens for the sounds in words-and to keep the child active and successful. p.80 Loved this reminder- Quote "When you are really trying to get your reader to feel something you are feeling, slowing down the moment so we can see it and feel it is a smart thing to do."
I like the analogy about teaching a child to ride a bike by holding onto the child and gradually releasing her. She says, “It is not easy to simply tell a young writer to do something and to have our words translate into new actions. Usually for this to happen, we must tailor our instruction so that it is very much within the learner's zone of proximal development." and needs to be both" doable and worth doing" .This invitation to improve their writing seems at the heart of motivation and the willingness to both learn and practice something new! (Alice’s comment)
ReplyDeleteQuote: Guided practice is the most prevalent teaching method in our primary writing conferences. Nothing a teacher can do or say in a conference will inform a learner as much as the learner's own actions. …… Think of guided practice as the method we use when we teach a child to ride a bike.
ReplyDeleteComment: I feel Chapter 11 was written for me. I want to strengthen my ability of confer, but feel like I am always rushed trying to conference with several students during writer's workshop, but only reaching one. Then the other students feel discouraged or neglected because I did not read their writing. =(
Quote: We expect a tremendous amount of focus and maturity from very young people - they are quite able to rise to the occasion, but we must explicitly, patiently, and repeatedly show them how. - page 103
ReplyDeleteComment - I particularly love how during conferencing she will have the students "act out" the feeling of the writing and have them shout where needed and move when needed and then they write.
I believe that in teaching young children guided practice would have to go hand in hand with explaining & showing. I am a visual learner along with a verbal learner, so for me, to see the expectation while introducing the writing would help me with organization, ideas, thought process, and end result.
The theme seems to be "show, don't tell." I liked the point made that we want to make sure that the amount of talking we do as teachers is focused and brief. We don't want to muddle what is being done with too much discussion.
ReplyDeleteI also learned a lot about patience in writing. There's so much to be taught. So much that is taken for granted--where to start on the paper, spacing, what a written product will look like, etc., and we need to remember that progress towards an expectation is progress and should be rewarded. I like the positive reinforcement that is part of the parting conversation.
I connected with a moment in the text--on P. 83--"Is this the story of you and your mom getting stuck in traffic because of the flood, or is it getting shoes?" Oh the conferences I have had about this! Students were given a prompt and in an attempt to please have written several stories--and not really touched on the one they've been asked to tell.
" . . . in order for us to learn from what someone else has done, that person's actions need to seem both doable and worth doing."
p. 78 Our job in a coaching conference is to run alongside the child as he or she rides a bike-or rereads, or adds details, or envisions, or listens for the sounds in words-and to keep the child active and successful.
ReplyDeletep.80 Loved this reminder- Quote "When you are really trying to get your reader to feel something you are feeling, slowing down the moment so we can see it and feel it is a smart thing to do."