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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ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiration to watch Regie work with the kids. My favorite was Garrett, the red-haired kid, as I believe I see him in a lot of my current students!
Regie’s idea of finding the love in writing is awesome and I couldn’t agree more. I also see great value in getting kids to understand the writing and reading connection. I try to help them see that the more they read, the better writers they will be. Our kids are facing the state writing test their Junior year, so this philosophy is starting to make sense to them as they get ready for that test plus the ACT and the PSAT and SAT.
I am going to video myself teaching a lesson in writing next week and I will let you know how it goes. I think it’s a great idea and one I have thought about but been a bit scared to do! Now it just seems like fun to me after watching the video and hearing the kids and their stories. Beaverton school district does do some of this filming and those are available online but I want to do one of my own and see what I can improve and what I am doing right.
A few weeks ago, my kids were beginning the process of writing a final paragraph or two concerning Elie Wiesel’s loss of faith in his memoir Night. We worked on Thesis statements as a group and then individually. I actually am pleased that the process I stumbled upon on my own seems to fit Regie’s ideas on getting kids into writing and finding their voice and making it fun to write. The process was in steps as follows:
1. Read the chapters involved and find 2 concrete details that dealt with loss of faith (set up was to start from his strong faith at the beginning of the novel) and the impact on Elie or his fellow Jews.
2. Pair share those CDs and make sure that the quotes followed a progression of loss.
3. Write a thesis statement
4. Share on Elmo
5. Choose the two best CDs
6. Talk about transitions and share the target (again) and the specifics involved.
7. Write a rough draft and read it aloud to a neighbor. Discuss.
8. Edit
9. Write another rough draft and try to incorporate word choice and analysis and voice.
10. Share that paragraph orally with a different student and one who isn’t a buddy. ☺
11. Edit
12. Write a final copy in class
As students went through each step, I randomly chose 3 or 4 to either read aloud or put on the Elmo so we all could talk about strengths and weaknesses as our collective goal was to write the best paragraph EVER!
At first kids were shy and worried but we laughed and giggled and I made sure it was so positive and they realized that they were getting extra help, pretty soon they were begging for their’s to be read.
I loved the process and will do it again. Now I will also incorporate more of Regie’s ideas into the next time.
It was delightful and informative to watch such a skilled teacher of writing work with students. Everything Regie does is purposeful; every word is so carefully chosen so as to maximize her limited time with students and yet she remains genuine. She is a huge inspiration to me. Reading her words and especially watching her in action has shown me that I am capable of being a better writing teacher. With her guidance and a lot of practice, I can emulate her teaching strategies.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching the whole class shares, both for celebration and teaching. Often the sharing of writing can take a long time with young students, as they struggle to read their writing that might not be sequenced correctly. The suggestion of looking at and selecting writing ahead of time to make the whole class share more effective would be a necessity when the purpose is to teach specific strategies or skills. I agree that students learn so much from each other and I see how beneficial both celebration and teaching conferences with the whole class truly are for motivating and inspiring students to try new things in their writing. My favorite conference on the DVD was with Max- I could see his self-esteem rise before my eyes as he made his classmates laugh. His conference was especially meaningful after reading the comments about him being new and not yet accepted into the classroom dynamic. This was just another example of how celebrating our student’s writing can benefit their confidence in many areas of their life.
The spelling conference was very valuable to watch and is something that I would love to try with students. In my own teaching I struggled with how to get students to transfer their spelling knowledge to their writing. Conducting whole class (or even one-one-one conferences) spelling/editing conferences go hand in hand with raising expectations for student editing. By walking students through the process of how to correct their spelling, they are learning how to connect what they already know about spelling to spell new words. It is so true that students do not often make the connections for themselves, we have to explicitly teach this to them! Students also receive the message that they must spell words correctly for the readability of their work. Regie’s advice for teachers that we must be teaching spelling strategies if we expect better spelling was a good reminder to hear. We can’t have high expectations if we don’t first give students the tools to be successful.
Essentials of Writing: Assignment 6
ReplyDeleteJenny Lucas
DVD Reflection
I very much enjoyed watching Regie’s DVD. I thought that they could be very useful to me as a coach to view and discuss with teachers. I thought that the “Whole Class Share” concept was brilliant. It provides an efficient and effective way to give feedback to young writers. It is efficient because all of the class benefits from listening in on a conference and it is effective because the student is given an opportunity to be celebrated and then given a little nudge to move him or her forward. So many times, reflection at the end of writer’s workshop becomes just an author’s chair experience in which student read their writing aloud and the rest of the class just listens, claps, and perhaps asks a few questions. Regie’s approach is so much more meaningful.
One concern I had while watching, however, was around the true attentiveness of the rest of the class. In the video, we could only see a few students who were sitting close to Regie and the student she was conferring with. I couldn’t help wondering how the kids in the back of the room were doing. I know when I show this to the teachers I work with, they will have the same question.
I thought of two possible strategies that could provide a solution to this potential problem. I would encourage teachers who want to incorporate the Whole Class Share model into their writing routine to try both strategies.
The first would be to set some norms with the class specifically for this activity. The teacher could explain to the class what the purpose of Whole Class Share is and what an important learning opportunity it is for everyone. Then, the class could list behavioral norms that would help everyone benefit from the experience. Possible norms might include: no side talking, keep your eyes on the teacher and student writer, listen respectfully, and think about what is being said.
It would be a good idea to review the norms before each Whole Class Share session and make modifications to them as needed.
The second strategy would involve keeping notes during the conference. Many of the teachers in my building have their students keep notebooks for reading, writing and math workshop. During the mini-lessons, students are required to have their notebook and a pencil on their laps. The teacher asks students to write certain words, phrases, ideas, directions, and the like in their notebooks. Sometimes the teacher tells the student explicitly what to write. Other times, students can keep notes for themselves. These notes can be used as references during independent work time. It’s a great tool for capturing learning and, so often, writing something down helps student solidify their learning. For the Whole Class Share, students could have their notebooks ready to jot down specific details that seem important. The teacher could respond to the writer she is conferring with and then direct the class to make a note of it for their own future reference.
By setting norms and asking students to record notes during the conferences to solidify their learning and provide future reference notes, each individual in the class now becomes a stake holder in making the Whole Class Share experience a success.
Hi Jenny,
DeleteI really like your two strategies for the whole class share portion. I agree that explaining to kids the purpose of the exercise and expectations and maybe even throw in that eventually their own writing will also be discussed, might make everyone pay attention.
I know that it's a challenge to engage everyone when you are dealing with one specific paper or student. We generally have kids "assessing" the work at their desks and an idea that came to mind while reading your response, is that the kids could actively engage in bullet point remarks as to how they would change the work to receive a higher score and provide positive feedback as well. I might try this and see where it goes. I know I have done this with thesis statements and it works well as those are short and to the point and if we use the "fun" concept, hopefully the kids see it works to their benefit to be the one being critiqued.
Assignment 6
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the video of Routman’s conferencing and sharing with the kids. While watching, I was struck by the overall positive response the student had to Routman’s comments. The reaction of students in the audience seemed to further encourage the student who was sharing. The use of humor in Max’s poem “Pet Monkey”, made me think of students in my class. Of all the traits, I consider voice to be the most difficult to teach. After having read about teaching voice and what that actually is, I have been trying to encourage this trait in my students’ writing in ways suggested by Routman. When kids let their funny sides show in their writing, it really allows the reader to hear the writer’s voice. In class we are working on informational writing about countries and I noticed a student who seemed pretty down. I asked him how things were going and he showed me the information he had on the geography of his country. The information was written in the form of a list. He read it to me and we made some decisions about how to hook the reader and organize our ideas. He then asked me if he could add dialogue. He wanted to be a tour guide leading the reader through the text, cracking jokes along the way. “Why not” I replied. He was very excited to write and when he had finished his draft on geography, he was eager to share. The other students love when kids use humor and many adopt what they hear and include some version in their own writing. Like Max, when my student shared his writing, kids laughed and he was really beaming!
I thought Routman’s suggestions for the kids were effective. I liked that she expressed the purpose of the sharing and checked for understanding. Something I should always do. Kids need to know what they are doing and why they are doing it. The overall tone was one of sharing, support, and affirmation. All lead to motivating the student. Specifically, Routman focused on titles, endings, and word choice. She also offered suggestions to clear confusion and make changes to improve writing while maintaining a positive rapport. The kids were all receptive. Again, Routman shows it is important to start with the positive so kids feel good and willing to go on. This reminds me of working with parents. For example, in kindergarten, I was trying out a positive behavior note system with the kids and one parent had issues with it. I listened and finally said we could just do away with it for the entire class (There were other ways to achieve my goals). She was actually shocked when I suggested this but was very grateful to have eliminated a source of stress for her daughter. From that point on, the parent was extremely receptive. Once they (parents and/or students) see you are on their side, they will work with you.
When watching the video, I noticed that Routman was positive yet she was not overly “gushy” and her feedback was always specific. Students can tell when you mean it or not and commenting about the particulars gives kids something real. She was also very succinct and although she took time to praise, engage, and converse, her pace was purposeful. The specific suggestions she offers provide a valuable guide that demonstrates ways to help kids. For example, I love how she incorporates teaching of spelling into the conference and she places the responsibility on the student to find the mistakes, think about the word, and make the corrections. She follows through by having him write is quickly and assume responsibility for future spelling. I also noticed when she asked the class a question about how to spell /ow,ou/, the class was not totally sure. Routman took note and she mentioned the class needed review. This was taken in jest but the observation was valid and she wasted no time in getting back to Derek’s writing. This is all just great teaching and it’s nice to be able to see it in acti
oops, last word in last sentence is action!
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder what Regie meant when she said “we have to teach spelling”? I know that students should be engaged with the spelling words they are learning each week and practice them so they become familiar, like when she asks the class “what are the two ways to make the /ou/ sound like house?” My question is do teachers still need to give a weekly spelling test or can teachers assessment spelling acquisition through student usage of those words in their writing? I would like to try to not have a weekly spelling test, but rather an end of unit spelling test. My students will be expected to use the new vowel sounds they are learning weekly in their writing, which I feel will lead to deeper retention of those sounds.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the rest of the video segments, I found myself jotting down the “teacher talk” which I would like to have posted on my clipboard to reference while I am conferencing with students. I want to remember to tell students to think about the other readers and not just themselves when they are writing. More often students will write something that they understand, but I, as the reader do not. This frustrates them because they think I should know, but I have to explain to my reason for my confusion. This more often than not helps them understand that not only are they writing for themselves, but for another audience as well. I like to also remind them that they can give their story to another teacher, the librarian, or the principal to read when they are finished. As long as I remember to celebrate my student’s best effort of writing, than I think that writing instruction will not feel like such a chore.
Another aspect of the video segments I was amazed with is the level of student respectfulness with paying attention. This will take a lot of modeling, reinforcing and patience to teach this to first graders. I may have to break up the whole-class sharing into little segments to begin with and then slowly increase the length of time. In addition, I wondered if every student will share or do I randomly pick or let the students volunteer. Lately, all of my first graders want to share their writing, but I know that at the beginning of the year students were shyer. I noticed in the second grade spelling segment that Regie was trying to talk over the students voices and I wonder how much learning was taking place. She was surprised when none of the students could recall the two different ways to say the /ou/ sound like in house and owl. Perhaps this lesson was going on too long.
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteWe’re glad you enjoyed seeing Regie in action.
Mary how did the filming go? Humor in the classroom is a wonderful tool to help students feel safe and comfortable. We’re glad you plan to use more of Regie’s ideas in your classroom.
Amy, “Purposeful” is the word to describe Regie’s teaching style. As you also noted, she is deliberate and genuine. Jackie and I also view her as an inspiration. And, as I like to do, I will reiterate your points about students needing teachers to instruct explicitly and make connections for the students. We MUST give the students the tools they need in order for them to be successful.
Jenny, excellent suggestions for teachers to use to increase student attentiveness and participation. I would bet that Regie does have established norms for Share time.
In Responsive Classroom training, no action or part of the day is too small to model and practice acceptable behaviors. In my Responsive Classroom training our instructor had us practice moving chairs around the room. It makes sense to be explicit and concrete with students. We can’t expect them to always know what we expect, we need to demonstrate and let them practice.
Hi! The filming was hysterical. You'd think I was an actress with all of the hand motions and sweeping gestures! I have a few things I need to work on but overall, it was a blast and I will do it again off and on to keep myself on track!
DeleteHello Don!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great example of your student when he was given ownership over his writing. You also make an important point about teachers listening to parents or students. You validated the parent’s concern by listening and adjusting your method. I’m sure she appreciated your willingness to hear her AND to act.
Hi Megan,
I think the general spelling rules and exceptions coupled with spelling words is what is meant when Regie says that we need to teach spelling. Not just assign a list of words but help the students understand the rules of the English language. I think it would be interesting to compare you end of the unit spelling test vs. weekly tests. Save your data from this year to compare to next year, even though you may have different students. This way you will have evidence of which method is most effective.
Breaking up your class to model and practice is a great idea. I’ve done this before and found it to be effective. I would start with students that are comfortable sharing but make sure over a certain amount of time (weeks) that everyone has had the chance to share. (I often keep check-off sheet strips with students’ names on them in my class for many different reasons and I would quickly put the date next to the students name to note who had shared. This way I can be sure to reach all students and give them all the opportunity. If I know that a student is especially nervous about sharing I would give them a heads up before the time and possibly practice with them, letting them know what I thought they did was so amazing that we needed to share it with the entire class to help them learn.