Leigh Holliday Blog Post #3 - Teach With a Sense of Urgency (Miller: Chapter 3)

Blog Post #3 Leigh Holliday

Teach With a Sense of Urgency (Miller: Chapter 3)

          If there has ever been a year when a “sense of urgency” is more evident, I can’t remember it.  With the Read to Succeed initiatives, SLO goals, and other requirements, teachers across this state certainly understand the concept.  There is much our students need to know, and we are quite urgent and even overwhelmed at the height of how far some must go to reach the desired outcomes.  How we prepare and what we actually do in the classroom predetermine our ability to attain these goals. Not only this, how effective we are has a direct correlation with what we believe about how our children learn to read and read well. 

         

           Miller’s optimal learning model is a good place to start for teachers who want to create a sense of urgency in our students like that of which we are experiencing.  As mentioned in her model, most implicit should be a collaborative learning environment where students and teachers agree that the material they are learning has value as well as enjoyment.  With those two elements along with shared responsibility through scaffolding, lesson engagement is achieved.  Understanding this model allows teachers to make decisions that best direct students.  In so doing, not only are students’ interests and approximations valued, but they lead to optimal growth and the established high expectations.

          Most beneficial to me in this chapter was the section on writing activities.  In particular was the class-generated text that students used to move toward independence, something I believe is essential if we are to reach high standards.  I also found the word-solving activities helpful and can incorporate these into the Word Work station of our Daily Five literacy block. 

Promoting a sense of urgency in our students begins and ends with how we value not only what we are teaching, but who the learner is and the potential each has.  For instruction to be effective, it must be compelling to that learner.  Teachers have the critical role in guiding students to levels of deep engagement that involves both purpose and exuberance.