ASSIGNMENT SIX: DVD Reflection- Included in your text is a DVD containing video clips of Regie’s conferences with writers in the classroom. There is a detailed commentary accompanying the DVD on page 336 of her text. Please watch the DVD and then look at her teaching notes beginning on page 336 (Regie suggests just watching without notes first so that you don’t miss what she and the students are doing.) After both watching and reading her notes, write your reflection and please post a copy of your DVD Reflection to the blog.
*NOTE: If you experience problems playing the DVD please refer to the Writing Essentials companion website at www.heinemann.com/writingessentials for directions for playing the DVD. Look in the upper right hand corner for the link.
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It was really helpful to see Regie in action on the DVD. I can truly see how whole class share and celebration lends itself to conferencing and writing instruction. When I looked at her notes about each section on the DVD it was amazing to see all of the different points she touched on. I can't wait to use this strategy in my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I will do differently next year is set myself up next to the reader. I have never seen that done during sharing time. I will be able to guide the student with their sharing and lead the conference. I used to sit in the audience with the rest of the class but I was then disconnected from the reader. I much prefer Regie's way and am confident with will allow me to make a connection with the reader as well as increase my writing instruction.
I really focused on the DVD sections with the 2nd graders since they are close in age to my own students. Regie did things I have never done before. I think I was actually afraid of helping students too much that I wasn't helping them enough. I am going to find the balance between letting the students use their own words and struggle through things while at the same time offering guidance, support and ideas. I will need to keep many more post-its on hand! I like that she respects the students' voices by keeping their language intact but assists them with getting ideas down with post-its. Using post-its will let me assist more students. I can save time by writing some things for them that they can refer to later.
It was amazing watching Regie in action on the DVD. It was very helpful to see how the celebration and whole class sharing turns into a wonderful way direct teaching. She is always so positive with the students, yet giving them ideas on how to make their writing even better. I like that she always asked for permission to read the student’s stories. The students in the video always left feeling good about their sharing/celebration time.
ReplyDeleteI have always sat beside my students, but I never was quite sure how best to interact with them to help that celebration time better. By watching the DVD and reading her notes she has given me some great ideas that I plan to implement right away. The spelling conference and mini lesson was very helpful. It empowers students to become better spellers, using words they are familiar with. They know they are the ones responsible to fix their editing problems, not the teacher. I can see that these spelling mini lessons would transfer into their writing.
The first thing I need to do is get lots of post it notes. I also need to teach the caret symbol and about titles for stories. I didn’t think it was something that was necessary. I know differently. I will ask those questions to be of more help to my students, to get them thinking so their stories or poems are clearer. The post it notes are something they can hold onto and use later.
Thanks Allison and Leah! It is great to see Regie in action. You just wish that she was a master teacher in your building so you could continually pop in and watch her work her magic. I'm glad that you both came away with strategies you'll try for this coming year!
ReplyDeleteI was drawn to Regie's use of affirmations during her conferences, as well as her direct, intentional way of asking questions and suggesting corrections. The conferences she had with students were relatively short but incorporated a celebration of student writing, and pinpointed areas of confusion. Regie was in control the entire time, but it was obvious that the students were the ones expanding their writing knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe use of affirmations was obviously a central part of Regie's writing workshop. It was evident that this made a positive difference in student performance. Students were proud to share their writing, and audiences seemed genuinely interested in and engaged in the work of their peers.
Every question or comment that Regie asked or made, had a definite and obvious purpose. Her dialogue zeroed in on perfect teaching points and brought the audience into the conferences with questions. Students knew exactly what they needed to work on, if anything, and were provided with examples and explanations of the teaching moments (e.g. “This line should be crossed out because it is confusing to the reader/listener.” )
Student language was left intact throughout the conferences. Regie repeated important parts of a student's story to prompt them to respond further and prompted them to write more. Sticky notes were even used to preserve student language I have no doubt that this empowered students and encouraged them to continue their writing with fervor.
These conferences were a celebration of student writing, full of wonderful teaching moments and affirmations of student ability. Not a single second was wasted: students were supported from beginning to end and came away with valuable knowledge about writing. Regie's conferences provide great examples of how writing conferences should look, feel and sound. I am glad that I got to see Regie in action!
Notes on the DVD
ReplyDeleteHere are some reflections from the DVD, specific to the students.
Ervin: Ervin got up in front of the class and was very comfortable letting Regie read his paper. One thing that I have learned to do before critiquing a student in front of the class is to make sure they are comfortable sharing their story as well as getting some critique. When starting the year, I think it’s important to choose a strong student who can handle the pressure. Regie is so genuine and positive with Ervin, that I am guessing any students who might have been wary to share their story with the class, would now be more than willing to share their story after they’ve seen the interaction between Regie and Ervin. I want to make sure I am always conscience of the fact that a student is putting him/herself out there, which can be intimidating. If I am prepared, and am creating a positive environment to share, then I assume many of the students will be willing to share their writings with the class.
Lahana: The first thing Regie did in this segment was tell children what the focus of the sharing was, which was to celebrate. The thing that stood out for me initially was the intentionality of Regie. She knew who she wanted to have share with the class when she asked who wrote the poem about chocolate. She also noted that she would use post-it notes to jot down key teaching points while she circled the room. The times that I have picked specific pieces to share, and prepared my thoughts beforehand, I have noticed that I am able to lead a more meaningful and efficient discussion. When I use a piece I am not familiar with, and am forced to lead a discussion “on the fly,” I often am not as effective. Being intentional, and using pieces that the whole class can learn from is key. I love how positive she is with Lahana as well. She addresses SPECIFIC points that she likes in the poem, and tells the students why she found it powerful. Then she reads the entire poem again and asks the students to listen carefully.
Garret: To start the conversation, Regie points out that Garret copied someone else’s poem to start, which I think is great. For many of my struggling writers, starting off by using someone else’s ideas is a great way to get the ball rolling. Just seeing words on paper is at times enough to get them started. It builds confidence. It is stated that Garret is an average writer, but I liked his piece the best. His voice and humor made it enjoyable to listen to, and he got a good reaction from the class. I saw him perk up and smile when the students laughed at his joke. I loved the way that Garret organized his poem as well. The way he used the lines, and how he broke up the poem freed him from the traditional format, which I think helped his creativity.
I noticed how attentive many of the students were during the sharing. I think them being moved to the carpet was a smart move. Getting everyone together on the carpet in close proximity helps. I wonder how I would hold some of my students accountable during these conversations. I know that some of my students would tune out during sharing, especially when it is not their piece being shared. I wonder what other teachers do during these moments to help hold the audience members more accountable? I was thinking about telling the students that I am going to ask an audience member at random to repeat one of the ideas discussed. This could help ensure they focus on at least one teaching point.
I wonder the same thing Phil does about students tuning out when their story isn't being shared. I like your idea about asking them to repeat one of the ideas being discussed. I often ask my students what was their favorite part and have them share that. This also gives the writer positive feelings and confidence.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching Routman lead writing conferences I was struck by how fast the conferences went, yet how much learning took place. The conferences are filled with learning and celebration. Routman validates the student’s voice by rereading their writing, using their words to draw their attention to what was effective and why, and has students applaud after the writing has been read.
ReplyDeleteSome of the reasons I think the writing samples are so strong are because the students are aware of their audience; they care about the topic, and are given choice within a structure. All the students in the fourth grade class wrote a poem, yet their topics were all meaningful to them personally – that is how there is so much voice and often emotion behind their words. It was interesting how while watching the video you didn’t know who the “high” or “low” kids were because all the students wrote wonderful poetry.
A strategy that I think is helpful is how Routman uses sticky notes to organize student’s writing. This is an effective way to organize a writer’s thoughts and scaffold them so they can do more writing on their own. By writing on a sticky note, it tells the writer, I respect your work, so I’m not going to write on your writing. I want to use this strategy in my classroom with students who are having trouble sequencing their story.
Another part of the DVD that was very informative to watch was the spelling lesson with Derek. In his writing sample he had missed many high frequency words. Instead of giving the words to him, she made him use what he already knew about phonics to rewrite the words correctly. When Derek is having trouble spelling the word “house” and is missing the “/ou/” sound, Routman says, “Do you know the word ‘out’?”(348) She builds on what he knows so he can be successful. I want to apply this strategy of building on what students know to get them to spell words so they become better spellers and more independent writers.
I agree with what everyone else said about how helpful it was to see Regie in action... When you are able to see that "live" example of how she talks to students, the questions she asks and the way she communicates with them, it makes it seem easier to mimic her and put all of her advice into my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that struck me as I watched the various segments was her questioning strategies. Her questions were so powerful and just packed full of amazing details that got responses from kids. I noticed it especially in the story with the little boy who got mud on his pants. Such a clever story and he had all of these ideas in his head and he just needed her to pull them out of him. I did think it was interesting that she sat up there with the reader while he shared his story. It also made me think about me reading a students' story for them so that I the class and the author of the story are able to hear the fluency and flow of the piece. It also makes for a great mini conference to have with the student. I usually just sit in the audience so that all of the attention will be on the author. I want to try her way though this year.
Another thing that I try to do but I want to be better at is the "specific compliment". She stops at so many points in each lesson with kids and highlights and re-reads what she loved about their piece. She will re-quote the line from their story and give praise that is so tailored to their writing. I tend to be more generic in my praise and I think if I can hone in and highlight the parts of the story that stood out to me, it will just reinforce those strategies as they continue writing.
I had so many questions when I watched her spelling lesson. I liked the coaching she used with helping the student use his knowledge to correct but I kept wondering why she did it in front of the entire class? It just seemed like they were not into it at all. I pictured that more as a one on one conference or a small group activity. It would be great if the class was engaged or maybe they all had copies of his piece but they seemed so checked out. I also was wondering if that was hard for the student to have his work up on the overhead and have it corrected in front of the entire class. I loved seeing the strategies that she used with Derek though and how she asked him to draw on his prior knowledge. I haven't seen that done with spelling and I thought her strategies were brilliant.
Thanks Mariah, Phil, Molly and Regina for all adding your comments about Regie's DVD to the blog. If you really enjoyed watching Regie in action, you can let your building administrators and/or building reading support staff know that she has a great PD series of DVDs called Regie Routman in Residency. The best thing about getting to watch instruct is the way she teaches with intention and specificity.
ReplyDeleteI am going to be Simon Cowell-honest. This video didn’t do much for me. I totally get everything she is doing, and it all makes sense to me; but I teach 7th grade. My classes appear to be much larger than what I see here, the students are bigger (they don’t sit on the floor around the teacher anymore), in a developmentally different place (this affects their courage), and behave very differently, so I didn’t find it very useful. Of course, I find the strategies very useful and love everything about the book and totally see how I can adapt these ideas to my classroom, but watching 2nd and 4th graders doesn’t inspire me. It makes me wonder, have I ever seen an educational video filmed in a 7th grade classroom? No. Maybe if I get good enough at this, I can make one.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do want to acknowledge is that there is so much more going on here than getting kids excited about writing. There is a positive classroom community, and well established classroom management. That is why students feel so comfortable sharing and are such good listeners. That doesn’t just happen because they have finally discovered writing is fun—those expectations have been exclusively taught. Some of the writing samples showed her idea (that I really like) about students writing a procedures book. You could even do a writing procedure lesson on the procedure for sharing writing. Then you would have that to refer to during sharing time throughout the year.
Ashley – I’m sorry that the DVD wasn’t all that beneficial for you (especially due to the fact that you had difficulty being able to watch it). There are a couple of really great resources out there for those of you who teach middle school (not that it wouldn’t be a good idea to make one of you and your students). Here are several I might suggest: From Choice Literacy - http://www.choiceliteracy.com/products/item19.cfm . From Heinemann – Nancie Atwell : http://www.heinemann.com/search/searchResults.aspx?s=all&q=Nancie%20atwell as well as many other resources from people like Lucy Calkins and Laura Robb - http://www.heinemann.com/categories/productsByGradeTopic.aspx?id=157 .
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