Final Semester Reflection

Overall, I thought I learned a lot about teaching reading to adolescents.  I really liked the strategies in Beers' book.  I thought that the book taught me a number of different strategies I can use as a future teacher to help students learn to read better. I also liked the fact that the book focused on specific areas in which students generally have trouble reading and ways to help students fix these problem areas.  Furthermore, I think our class in general focused a lot on ways to engage students in reading.  I think this is important because learning to enjoy reading is one of the most important things students can get out of a language arts class. I think students really need to read more outside of school because it teaches them so much and allows them to engage in an activity that is good for them cognitively.  I know I will use the skills I learned in this class to help teach  my future students to be better readers and to enjoy reading.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 10

I thought this was an interesting chapter, because it focused on an area that most high school teachers don't often think of.  I thought it was important that she mentioned the importance of fluency.  I thought Beers made a good point when she said that readers can't focus on comprehension if they spend all their time focusing on decoding.  Therefore, as teachers it's important to make sure our students are fluent readers.  I thought Beers suggested some good strategies for teaching fluency and automaticity.  I like her suggestion of reading out loud to a class, because this can be a useful strategy for a class of students with mixed ability levels.  For students that need help with automaticy, this will give them extra practice at hearing the words, for students that don't need this help, they can learn from the teacher's reading and practice their listening.  In my opinion, it's harder to listen to a text than to read a text and efficient readers can benefit from this.  I also liked Beers idea of using high-frequency word lists and word walls.  However, the only problem I see with this is that the strategies seem a bit "elementary" for high school students.  If high school teachers use these strategies, they should be sure to present them in such a way to high schools students can identify with them and not feel too babied.  All in all, I thought her strategies were useful and will be helpful in teaching students to improve their reading fluency and automaticity.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 14

I thought this was a very important chapter because it discussed the issue of recommending the right books to students.  I think Beers raised an important point when she said that teachers need to understand that they shouldn't just recommend books that they like to students, but they should pay attention to students' individual interests. I liked the idea of talking with students at the beginning of the school year to get an idea of their interests which could eventually lead to book recommendations.  I also liked the point she raised about students not knowing how to navigate through a library.  I thought this was an important topic that teachers don't often think to address.  I liked the idea of using a Good Books box to raise students' interest in reading and then eventually steer them to the section of the library that they find most interesting.  I think another issue this chapter raised was that students should be given a choice in what they read.  If they're constantly forced to read classics with adult characters who they can't identify with, they will never learn to enjoy reading.  Therefore, it's important for teachers to be prepared with young adult literature in order to gain student interest in reading.  I plan on having my own classroom library when I'm a teacher so I can be prepared to recommend books to students. I also think book talks are a great way to get students interested in reading who simply don't know where to look.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 13

I thought this chapter was especially interesting because it focused on an area that teachers usually feel that they don't have a lot of control in.  Students' confidence is a huge issue in schools, and it's important for teachers to do everything they can to help students feel comfortable in their classrooms.  I liked the fact that Beers wrote a whole chapter on this issue that is often ignored.  I liked the fact that she brought up simple things such as making sure students know everybody else's name.  I don't think teachers should assume that all the students know each others names, because I was often in situations in high school where I didn't know the names of my classmates and the teacher assumed I did, and then I was embarrassed because I didn't know them.  I also liked the idea of using the bell in the classroom in the way that the teacher in the example did.  I thought that this really brought attention to the fact that words can hurt, and hurtful words shouldn't be tolerated in the classroom.  I thought the teacher who used this strategy did a good job in making this point to her students without actually saying it.  She allowed them to learn this on their own.  I also liked the point about having high expectations for students.  I think this is important because students realize when teachers don't have faith in their abilities.  I think teacher should have more confidence in their students and provide more scaffolding and help to allow them to reach their full potential.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 9

Reading this chapter really got me to think about the importance of vocabulary.  In my experience in high school, I participated in traditional vocabulary activities where a teacher would give us a list of twenty words every week in our vocabulary book and then we were required to do the exercises and memorize them for a test every Friday.  I know from personal experience that this method does not work and I hardly remember any of those difficult and confusing words.  I liked Beers strategies for teaching vocabulary because they make the words seem more relevant to what they are studying and it allows students to really learn the words, not simply memorize them.  I think it's important for teachers to make connections to other areas in all different subject areas, so students feel that what they are learning is useful.  I also think it's important for teachers to model how to use the context as a clue rather than just telling them to do it.  A student will not learn if the teacher simply gives them an assignment that they don't know how to do.  There needs to be more actual teaching involved and I think Beers gave a lot of great examples on how to engage students and get them involved in the whole reading process.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 8

This chapter focused on strategies for increasing reading comprehension after a text has already been read by the students.  The author stressed the fact that simply asking a student to read a text and then ask questions is ineffective for readers who do not understand the content.  Instead, she proposed a number of useful strategies for increasing students' understanding and allowing them to be more interested in what they read.  I particularly liked the the strategy of text reformulation.  I think this is a great way to get students to talk about a text with their peers and be creative with their work.  As the author said, it makes students discuss the the theme, main idea, setting, and characters without forcing them to discuss these elements in a strict and structured way.  I also liked the strategy of creating representative sketches of the texts.  This reminded me of the activity we did in our class and I think this another great way to get students thinking about the important elements of a text in a non-traditional way.  I liked the fact that the author outlined many different strategies to use in the classroom.  By using a mixture of these strategies, a teacher can increase student understanding by using a number of meaningful strategies without becoming monotonous or routine.  I will definitely use these strategies in my classroom and during my tutoring in my field experience.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 7

This chapter discussed the importance of using a number of different comprehension strategies while the student is reading a text.  I found this very interesting because most teachers I've had have discussed a text by providing a brief introduction before reading, and then having a discussion after students have finished reading a text.  Most teachers ignore discussion of a text while students are reading.  I thought it was good that Dr. Beers stressed the importance of this strategy because it helps to create better readers and turn dependent readers into independent readers.  For example, I like the fact that she expanded on the importance of think-alouds and modeling.  I think that as teachers, it is important for us to be clear with our students about our expectations so that they can improve as the school year progresses.  I believe that Dr. Beers outlines a number of excellent strategies to use with students.  These strategies show different ways that teachers can help students improve their comprehension skills during reading.  I liked the fact that many of the strategies, such as the Say Something allowed students to discuss their thoughts with partners, since students can learn a lot from each other.  I also liked the fact that Dr. Beers was very clear on how to teach using these different strategies and the ways in which they can improve a student's reading.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 5

I thought this chapter provided very specific information on on how to teach students how to make an inference. I liked this chapter because I think it gave very specific strategies on how to teach students this skill.  It also used the strategy of scaffolding by having teachers first model their exact thought processes as they read aloud a text, and then allowing the students to do this on their own, first as a class discussion, and then in individual papers.  I also like the authors idea of writing down the specific ways of making an inference and then referring to these specific strategies in order to get the students to think.  I think Beers does a very good job of outlining very specific areas where students have trouble, and then explaining what we, as teachers, can do to help them.  I liked her idea of starting class out with a short passage every day and then having students make inferences about the passage as a warm-up exercise at the beginning of class.  In this way, students can improve their inference making skills on a daily basis through practice.  I will definitely use these strategies in my classroom because I believe that they can be very helpful to students because they provide very clear explanations for students on how to improve their reading skills.  

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 6

This chapter was very interesting because it highlighted the importance of pre-reading.  I didn't realize that as an independent reader, I subconsciously thought about what would be included in the text and made my own predictions.  I didn't realize that dependent readers simply start reading without putting any thought into the topic they will shortly begin reading.  I thought the strategies provided in this chapter were great ways of engaging students' interest in a topic.  I particularly liked the anticipation guide because it brought up controversial questions that got students thinking.  I think this a great strategy to start good discussions about a text both before and after reading, and it allows students to create personal meaning from their reading. I also though the KWL chart and the tea party were good ways for helping students to make connections between what they know and what they learn.  I thought the probable passage  was a good way of getting students to discuss specific vocabulary words and make predictions with their peers rather than with their teacher.  This allowed them to engage in a discussion about the text on a more conversational level with their peers and use their imaginations, while also preparing them to read a text.  I thought all of these strategies were great ways to get students engaged in their reading before they even begin reading a text.  I also thought it did a great job of laying out a specific strategy and helping me learn how to use it in the most effective way.  

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 4

This chapter focused explicitly on ways to help students comprehend a text.  The author focused on the strategy of thinking out loud or modeling specific thought processes for students.  While using this method, instead of just explaining the meaning of a text, the teacher helps students learn how to create meaning out of future texts on his or her own.  This can be done either on a one on one basis, or as a class.  When working with a student one on one, a teacher can read a passage to a student while pausing frequently and explaining the specific way in which she made inferences and drew conclusions from the text while she was reading it.  In this way, the student is able to see a model of the teacher's thought processes and ask specific questions that will help aid the student with his own reading in the future.  Furthermore, in a group setting, the teacher can model texts as a way to lead a group discussion.  This helps students to become more engaged in the text and to learn how to draw conclusions from texts. In my opinion, modeling thinking is a great way to show students the correct way to understand a text.  It allows them to see exactly what type of thinking the teacher is asking for, and how they can achieve this.  I think this is much easier than trying to explain thought processes to a student or asking them to simply reread a passage.  This lays out exactly what they need to work on and how they can achieve a better understanding of reading.  

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 3

I thought this chapter was very interesting in providing me with a lot of useful information about identifying where a student has a problem.  Teachers often label students as being unable to read, but they don't specify which area the student is struggling with.  The book gave one example about a student who could easily decode the words and read aloud with lots of expression, but she couldn't comprehend what she was reading.  I thought this was interesting because we often think the students who have trouble reading are the ones who stumble over words and have trouble pronouncing simple things.  While these students do have trouble reading, we can't overlook the students who can decode words but can't comprehend them.  I thought the reading test we discussed in class last week was a great way for teachers to assess where exactly a student's problem is in a short amount of time.  Without identify the exact problem, it is difficult to find a solution.  I also like the fact that the author mentioned the fact that there are many students who are capable of reading but they don't because they find it boring.  I understand that this is a big problem with students and I plan to allow my students to have some choices in what they read so that they can choose something of interest to them. I will also be prepared to refer students to young adult literature that may be of interest to them so they can gain some interest in reading.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 2

I thought this chapter was very interesting because it highlighted many of the problems that teachers often have.  I understand that it is easy to simply say that a student can't read, but it's much more difficult to figure out where exactly the problem is and how to fix it.  First, I didn't know the difference between dependent and independent readers.  Since, I am going to be a future English teacher, I am an independent reader and did not even realize that I was subconsciously decoding, comprehending, thinking about the text, drawing my own conclusions, and making inferences.  For dependent readers, these are strategies that must be taught and practiced.  I didn't realize this before I read this chapter and I hope that I will now be more sensitive to the fact that reading doesn't come easy for all students.  I hope that I will be able to successfully help students to become better readers.