[Editor’s Note: Readingteacher is a first-year elementary school teacher in Brooklyn.]
The time came for me to put my Fordham Master’s in Education in Literacy to work this past September as an elementary school reading teacher for the Department of Education. This is a golden opportunity, I thought to myself, to share with great enthusiasm all the knowledge, skills, strategies and expertise in literacy with children who could truly benefit from it.
As it turns out, I continue to have the privilege to inspire and encourage small groups of struggling learners and English Language Learners. Valuable instructional time to really move these students forward, however, is often truncated by standardized test prep texas holdem romatexas holdem no limitpoker in tourtexas holdem flashpoker su internet gratissoftware poker gratispoker online gamesmultiplayer pokerscommesse on linepoker gratis multiplayerpoker on line,online poker,online poker game3c texas holdem pokerwww super poker comgioco carte pokerpoker tour italiaomaha poker in linea,omaha poker,giochare omaha pokeril poker onlinescaricare gioco pokergiochi giochi onlinepoker no onlinedownload giochigioco strep pokertorneo poker on linegiochi seven card stud inlineapoker texano gratistornei poker livegioco poker on line gratisgioca pokerpoker multiplayer onlineper giocare a pokergiochi carte pokerpai gow pokerpoker flash on linegioco poker per pcgioco poker freewaregiochare omaha poker in lineapoker online bonuspoker online downloadtexas holdem gameomaha poker in lineadownload gioco poker,gioco poker,gioco a pokeritalian pokergioca poker on line888 pokerbet and win pokerinternet pokerbonus europa casinogiochi black jackgiochi roulette gratiscasino bonus senza deposito as well as administration of these tests and pretests as well. Since part of my job requirement is to be part of the school-wide test team, I had to learn, along with all other teachers, how to find ways and time to prepare students for standardized tests without sacrificing best teaching practices; most important, I needed to discover how to include ample test prep without depriving them of authentic literacy experiences that could enrich and make a difference in their lives.
The positive aspect of my position as Title I teacher is to build up the language and literacy background of those students who both lack a socioeconomic advantage and whose classroom performance indicate a struggle with reading. On a daily basis I am able to pick up a “small” group of 10-15 students for 45 minutes and address and remediate various learning strategies that could improve both their fluency and comprehension, two key elements of the reading process.
On days and weeks that we meet consistently, without interruption, I engage the students in guided, shared, and oral reading using texts that are both interesting to them and at least on their grade or instructional level; I find that the method of using challenging but interesting texts, with me there to both model strategies and guide, to be most effective. Children are motivated to read, build their vocabulary, integrate reading strategies, and develop the semantic background and knowledge they need to become successful readers and learners.
I have found that engaging, informing, and encouraging parents, through parent literacy workshops, as partners in their child’s literacy development can be helpful, especially to parents who may not be aware of the critical and powerful role they play in their child’s literacy life.
The biggest challenge to students’ literacy development in the classroom is, in my experience, the case of the standardized testing, both with its extensive time allotted for test prep and test administration. The DOE contract with McGraw Hill requires student predictive and instructional tests, in addition to state mandated tests, to be administered, collected, stored, graded and shipped five times a year. Needless to say, this time spent on testing is a drain on academic resources, as specialized teachers like me are “pulled out,” sometimes for hours or days, to distribute, administer, collect and grade these tests.
Who loses out from what some might call this “much ado about nothing”? It is clear that the students do; they lose valuable instructional time with qualified teachers that could otherwise be spent building strong foundations for their literacy growth. My goal as an educator is to keep the confidence I have as a professional teacher and never to compromise what I know to be best practice in teaching literacy, even within the framework of current standardized test demands. Like Liz Hollingworth writes in “The Reading Teacher,” I believe that “when the NCLB act comes up for reauthorization, it is crucial that administration, parents, and policymakers realize that the expertise of teachers must be brought to bear on curriculum decisions at the classroom level.” Teachers and all stakeholders perhaps may need to speak out more on the case of standardized testing.
Regardless of the challenge that standardized tests currently impose on school curriculum, I like many other teachers can creatively find ways to help students engage in more authentic, meaningful learning. When the time with my students is spent on collaboration, creative problem-solving, critical thinking and conversations, all within the contexts of literacy, they will no doubt develop language skills and build rich literate backgrounds that can carry them into a more successful future.
3 Comments:
1 phyllis c. murray
· Mar 22, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Re. Test Prep and Literacy
Testing and Literacy have their place in any academic testing. But we must not forget the importance of the library.
A library’s place is in the heart of a school. It is where different worlds are housed neatly together on shelves in ordered silence. It is where new learning takes place with every turn of a page. It
is where life unfolds and begs answers. Where old questions were answered; and new questions began.
The library is the doorway to past, present, and future all rolled into one eloquent history. It is where the very young and very old find refuge. The library is a place where one’s imagination can take flight… in a santuary of peace and quiet. The library is where old tales are told and new tales are crafted; where special guests display their gifts and talents; where the applause of an audience beckons new patrons and new listeners into an author’s circle. The library is a place where the love of learning can be nurtured.
Schools need libraries to showcase author’s day; spelling bees; chess tournaments;puppet shows; read-aloud days; literacy teas; storytelling, and holidays. Schools need libraries to introduce students to great authors and even greater than life libraries. Libraries are needed to introduce the youth of today to the world of computer technology,research, and cyberspace of tomorrow.
Surely, libraries have something for everyone. Free access is granted.
Carl Sagan once said,”The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
Carl Sagan was right. A library connection means survival in our great society. Joining the library costs nothing but means everything. We must urge our elected officials to support our libraries.And above all, support the public
schools which house them!
Phyllis C. Murray
UFT Chapter Leader
2 phyllis c. murray
· Mar 25, 2008 at 8:10 am
re. Test Prep vs Literacy
Testing and Literacy have their place in any academic setting. However, we must not forget the importance of the library.
A library’s place is in the heart of a school. It is where different worlds are housed neatly together on shelves in ordered silence. It is where new learning takes place with every turn of a page. It
is where life unfolds and begs answers. Where old questions were answered; and new questions begin.
The library is the doorway to past, present, and future all rolled into one eloquent history. It is where the very young and very old find refuge; And where their imagination can take flight… in a santuary of peace and quiet. The library is where old tales are told and new tales are crafted; where special guests display their gifts and talents; where the applause of an audience beckons new patrons and new listeners into an author’s circle.
Schools need libraries to showcase author’s day; spelling bees; chess tournaments;puppet shows; read-aloud days; literacy teas; storytelling, and holidays. Schools need libraries to introduce students to great authors and even greater than life libraries. Libraries are needed to introduce the youth of today to the world of computer technology,research, and cyberspace of tomorrow.
Surely, libraries have something for everyone. Free access is granted.
Carl Sagan once said,”The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
Carl Sagan was right. A library connection means survival in our great society. Joining the library costs nothing but means everything. We must urge our elected officials to support our libraries; And certainly, support the public schools which house our libraries!
Phyllis C. Murray
3 AFT NCLBlog
· Mar 26, 2008 at 11:41 am
[...] test prep and test administration.Think it’s just another lazy teacher looking for an excuse? Read the whole post. Readingteacher seems to be thoughtful, dedicated and knowledgeable — just the kind of [...]
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